Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources. Mrs Comfort Ekaro, has urged the ten states benefiting from interventions of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to appropriate adequate funds for access to water in rural communities.
Ekaro, represented by Assitant Director,Collaboration and Partners,Federal Ministry of Water Resources,Mr Adebanjo Adebayo, made the call on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of 2019 FG/JICA assisted water supply project annual review workshop in Bauchi.
She urged benefitting state governments to continue to appropriate adequate funds for the project to optimise the impacts derivable from it.
She said the purpose of establishing Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Center (RWSSC) at National Water Resources Institute (NWRI) in Kaduna by JICA, was to improve capacity development for professionals in the water sector.
She therefore urged rural water supply and sanitation agencies and other stakeholders to facilities at NWRI Kaduna.
Ekaro explained that the aim of the workshop was to appraise the status and challenges of the programme in the 10 JICA focal states, namely Niger, Kebbi, Katsina, Bauchi Kano, Yobe, Taraba,Ondo, Oyo and Enugu.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Bauchi state Rural Water Spply Agency,Alhaji Garba Babaji,said Bauchi was among the two states to have benefitted from the third tranche of grant from the Japanese government in 2010, through JICA.
Babaji assured the state government’s commitment to re-strategise for the successful implementation of the project.
Also speaking, the Representative of JICA, Malam Saddique Gulma, commeded the benefitting states for their commitment in the provision of potable water in rural communities.
