Business
Improving Access To Water And Sanitation In Africa
World leaders
recently met in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to deliberate on how Africa can achieve water security in line with the Africa Water Vision 2025.
At the sixth Africa Water Week from July 18 to July 22, the leaders recalled that Vision 2025 for water security for African nations entailed access to sanitation, safe and adequate water supply.
In the light of this, former President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya urged African governments to work with civil society organisations and development partners to utilise water resources for human and economic development.
“Water is perhaps Africa’s greatest challenge; with the world’s biggest population and yet with only nine per cent of the world’s fresh water resources.
“It is urgent that the available resources are secured to save them from depletion,’’ he said.
Kibaki emphasised the need for trans-boundary cooperation among African nations to re-energise and maximise the opportunities of water and sanitation.
According to him, improving access to water and sanitation in Africa has been the commitment of the continent to providing water under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To enliven the commitment, Ms Rhoda Tumusiime, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of African Union Commission, urged member states to identify methods of achieving water security on the continent.
She said the aspiration of Africa had been to develop an equitable, sustainable use and management of water resources.
Calling for more actions, Tanzanian Vice-President, Ms Samia Suluhu, called on African governments to tackle existing challenges in the sector and take advantage of available opportunities.
However, Nigerian Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu announced that the African Water Facility had committed 1.6 billion euros to finance water and sanitation projects in Africa.
He said that through the projects, no fewer than 3.2 million people would be able to access improved sanitation and another 2.8 million people would access improved water sources.
He also said member states had committed 922 million euros to the implementation of follow-up projects, which were relevant to total development of the sector.
“As part of its climate change strategy, the African Water Facility prioritises projects in water harvesting, conservation, storage, recycling and the use of renewable energy to power water stations and infrastructures,’’ he said
He expressed optimism that all member-states would reach a consensus on all deliberations, thereby taking the region to the next level.
He urged the member-states to redeem their pledges for project scale-up, envisaging that by the end of 2018, an estimated 44 million euros would be needed.
“I wish to note that pledges made by African countries in 2012 have not been paid up, with the sole exception of Burkina Faso.
“We want to thank the Nigerian government which recently committed one million dollars of which the disbursement is in process,’’ he said.
Sharing similar sentiments, Mr Bai-Mass Taal, Executive Secretary, the African Ministers Council on Water, called on member-states to increase their budgets for water to meet the SDGs on water and sanitation.
He said that there was no doubt that achieving the SDGs for water security and sanitation would require more pragmatic approach.
According to him, finance plays a major role towards meeting the goals but most African countries’ budgets have relegated the provision for water and sanitation.
“When you look at budgets for water in most African countries, it can never be in the top five; this is not good.
“Most leaders forget that water is a multi-sector issue; it cuts across agriculture, health, education, socio-economic issues, so we must stop this trend if we want to achieve the SDGs,’’ he noted.
He said that the week was a wake-up call for the region to begin to think outside the box for strategies that would help countries to scale up access to water for Africans.
In his view, Mr Amadou Faye, the President of African Ministers Council on Water, said that the choice of the week’s theme — “Achieving the SDGs on Water Security and Sanitation’’ — was to lay foundation for Africa to meet the SDGs.
He called for strengthened cooperation among countries to build stronger partnerships for the implementation of the council’s work plan.
At the end of various discussions during the week, African countries adopted a roadmap to achieve sustainable and universal access to safe water and sanitation on the continent.
They noted that the roadmap recognised the role of innovative financing and budgetary prioritisation for the water sector, sanitation and monitoring, agreeing that the adoption was in line with the efforts to realise the African Agenda 2063.
They unanimously expressed the belief that by increasing transparency and accountability in the sector, governments across Africa would be able to account for financial contributions on water security and sanitation.
They, nonetheless, called for the allocation of necessary finances as well as better governance through increased transparency and accountability.
According to them, member-states must step up efforts to realise the African Agenda 2063 on the “Africa We Want’’ because water is key to reducing poverty in Africa.
“There is need for us to put in place sound policies, legal and regulatory frameworks to support investments from various sources in water, sanitation and hygiene,’’ they said in a communiqué.
Entitled: “The Dar es Salaam Roadmap for Achieving the N’gor Commitments on Water Security and Sanitation in Africa’’, stakeholders believe that the gathering of African leaders to discuss water and sanitation challenges represented a political commitment at the highest level in that regard.
Tosin Kolade writes for News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
In a concerted effort to tackle racketeering and reduce inflated transportation costs in the Nigeria’s seaports, Trucks Transit Parks Ltd. (TTP) has trained Licensed Customs Agents and Freight Forwarders on the use of its Ètò electronic call-up system.
The training was held recently at Customs Processing Centre (CPC) Auditorium, Apapa, Lagos, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and supported by the leadership of the Joint Association of Licensed Customs Agents and Freight Forwarders (JALCAFF), Apapa Command.
Speaking at the event, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu expressed appreciation to TTP for facilitating the training and emphasized the need for customs agents to take personal ownership of the Ètò booking process.
“I want to thank TTP for this impactful training. I encourage all customs agents to begin doing their own bookings directly. By doing so, they can take back power from the unscrupulous elements exploiting their lack of knowledge, selling tickets at highly inflated prices,” Olomu declared.
He noted that empowering agents with hands-on training was key to dismantling racketeering networks that have plagued access to the ports and frustrated efficient logistics processes.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Apapa Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Chief Emeka Chukwumalu, said the engagement was critical to the ongoing push to reduce cargo transportation costs and ease business operations at the Apapa Port.
According to a freight forwarder, “The training is basically for us to have awareness of the operations of the Ètò call-up system through TTP. We also want to brainstorm on ways to reduce the high cost of cargo transportation in Apapa Port.
“This training opened our eyes to how simple it is to book tickets ourselves. We now know the right steps to follow and how to avoid falling victim to fraudsters.”
Earlier, Head of Operations at TTP, Mr. Irabor Akonoman, talked on common misconceptions about ticket pricing, reaffirming that the cost of Ètò bookings had remained consistent since its inception.
“The official price remains the same since inception. What people are paying higher amounts for is the manipulation by racketeers”.
Towards strengthening small businesses and promoting a more supportive regulatory environment, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) says it will hold the 2025 edition of its flagship MSMEs Fair on Tuesday (May 6, 2025).
The event, themed, “Galvanising MSMEs for Economic Growth and Stability”, will take place at NECA House in Lagos.
According to NECA’s Director-General, Mr Adewale Smatt Oyerinde, the fair seeks to provide micro, small, and medium enterprises with essential tools, resources, and strategic networks to thrive in Nigeria’s challenging business climate.
He emphasised the vital role MSMEs play in national development, describing them as the “lifeblood of Nigeria’s economy.”
Oyerinde noted that the fair is designed to offer entrepreneurs practical solutions to navigate economic uncertainties, regulatory hurdles, and business scalability issues.
A major attraction of this year’s event is the keynote address by the CEO of FATE Foundation, Mrs. Adenike Adeyemi, a prominent advocate for MSME development.
She is expected to share transformative insights on innovative strategies for sustaining and growing small businesses in Nigeria.
A unique feature of the fair will be interactive sessions with key regulatory bodies. Entrepreneurs will engage directly with agencies responsible for licensing, compliance, taxation, and business registration.
NECA said these sessions aim to demystify bureaucratic processes and foster a more enabling business environment.
It also said the fair will provide a platform for entrepreneurs to exhibit their products and services, connect with potential investors, and explore new markets.
It added that participants would gain critical knowledge on digital transformation, access to finance, and strategies for sustainable business growth.
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· NECA stressed that the fair aligns with its broader mission of promoting enterprise development and economic resilience.
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· “By empowering MSMEs with the right support and information, the organisation aims to stimulate job creation, innovation, and long-term economic stability”, NECA said.
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· The 2025 MSMEs Fair is expected to attract a wide range of stakeholders, including financiers, tech experts, regulators, and industry leaders, all united in advancing the growth of Nigeria’s MSME sector.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, says over two million passengers have been transported on the Blue Line Rail since its launch, while state-run buses move an average of 42,000 commuters daily.
Osiyemi, who disclosed this during the Year 2025 Ministerial press briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, on Tuesday, noted that the Lagos State Transport Policy, launched in May 2024, was now in its implementation phase, focusing on inclusivity, safety, affordability, and sustainability.
“On rail development, Phase One of the Blue Line (Marina to Mile 2) has served over two million passengers, with Phase Two (Mile 2 to Okokomaiko) in progress.
“Phase One of the Red Line (Agbado to Oyingbo) is now operational with eight stations and additional rolling stocks procured, while Phase two (Oyingbo to link Blue Line at National Theatre) is underway”, he said.
The Commissioner said in the state-owned bus operations, over 60 million commuters have been served since 2019, with daily ridership exceeding 40,000.
He also said plans were on to deploy new buses with Quality Bus Corridors under construction, adding that the Abule=Egba Bus Terminal had also been commissioned.
“For water transport, 15 locally-built Omibus Ferries have been launched and are in operation, with the Ijegun Egba Terminal now open.
“The OMI EKO project, in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD), will deliver 25 terminals and 78 electric ferries.
“Over 280,000 passengers have used ferry services in the past year, and 12 boats have been upgraded to meet safety standards”, he said.
On road infrastructure and traffic management, the Commissioner said 49 junction improvement projects had been completed, including ongoing ones at Ikorodu, Iju, as well as Allen-Opebi-Toyin axis.
He added that solar-powered Traffic Signal Lights, road markings covering 67.9km, new medians, laybys, and 3,941 parking lots had also been provided.
Additionally, Osiyemi announced that the deployed Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras had detected over 470,000 traffic violations and that the Vehicle Inspection Service issued over one million roadworthiness certificates.
He also said that the Lagos State Drivers’ Institute trained more than 32,000 drivers in the past 13 months.
The event marked the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term, showcasing major strides in the transport sector under the THEMES+ agenda.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos