Nigeria’s Water Minister, Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu who is attending the 2017 World Water Week conference in Stockholm, Sweden has called on African ministers to take away from the global conference of water experts, how to turn waste water into economic good.
Speaking with Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) in an exclusive interview after the plenary opening on Tuesday 29th August, 2017, the minister said that such a gathering of water experts, development professionals and policy makers in the sector would afford most especially the developing countries of Africa an opportunity to learn and adopt best practices of the developed continents on waste water management.
“African countries should use this opportunity to learn from the developed world best technologies of reducing waste water and turn it to economic benefit by reusing it”, he said. He added that effective management of waste water will not only improve the economies of Africa, but would also improve and promote good health of Africans.
World Water Week is the world’s biggest global annual meeting focusing on water and development. It is organized by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). The conference draws over 3,000 participants from nearly 130 countries, who come to Stockholm to learn about new research results, share experiences, discuss progress in the implementation of global goals, and together try to find new ways in meeting the world’s growing water challenges.
Continuing, Adamu said that the conference theme, Water and waste: Reduce and reuse, touches the very core of our daily lives. “To reduce, some drastic changes will be necessary especially by the main wastewater users including, industries, energy producers and the agriculture sector”, he explained.
Also, the minister stated that Nigeria is mobilizing resources through the instrumentality of Partnership for Expanded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) initiative to address the nation’s Water and Sanitation Sub-sector in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2025 on Sanitation and 2030 on Water Supply in both the rural and urban areas of the country. He is sad about the pathetic situation of the Water Supply and Sanitation sub-sector.
“ So Nigeria is taking a critical look at the Water Supply and Sanitation sub-sector by launching the PEWASH document to bring efforts of Federal Government, States Government and other critical stakeholders in the water sector together on strategic roles each is to play in addressing the pathetic situation of the sub-sector”, he said.
Margaret E. Umoh
Director (Press & Public Relation Unit)
