The Cross River State Government has validated its Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) system for health sustainability plan, designed to strengthen water and sanitation services across the State to achieve universal open defecation-free (ODF) status.
The validation meeting brought together key stakeholders, sector experts, and development partners to critically review, strengthen, and endorse the sustainability framework aimed at enhancing effective WASH service delivery and institutional resilience in Cross River State.
The plan seeks to ensure sustainable access to safe water, sanitation, hygiene services, waste management systems, infection prevention and control, and institutional coordination.
It also provides a strategic framework for ensuring that project investments, institutional reforms, infrastructure, systems, and capacities continue to function effectively beyond project implementation periods, outlining mechanisms for institutional ownership, financing, operations and maintenance, capacity strengthening, community participation, governance, monitoring, accountability, and risk management.
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources and Chairman of the State Task Group on WASH (STG-WASH), Dr. Okon Ita, called on stakeholders to develop a reliable and workable framework to complement existing legislation and facilitate WASH activities across the State. “We must work together to create a sustainable plan that will position Cross River State as an ODF State,” he said.
He emphasized the ongoing commitment of Governor Bassey Otu’s administration to resuscitating water facilities and repositioning the WASH sector through evidence-based planning and institutional strengthening and charged sector players to ensure full implementation of the plan.
In his keynote address, lead facilitator Mr. William Ngwakwe, speaking on behalf of the President of NEWSAN, commended Governor Otu for creating an enabling environment to institutionalize WASH activities in the state. “The commitment demonstrated by this administration places Cross River State on the path to achieving higher standards for water and sanitation in Nigeria,” he added.
Ngwakwe pledged NEWSAN’s continued support in helping the state achieve universal access to affordable and accessible water supply through a workable, actionable plan.
The State Coordinator of Self Help Africa (SHA), Mr. Ferdinand Anom, reaffirmed his organization’s commitment to advancing WASH activities. He highlighted SHA’s existing policies supporting WASH implementation and system strengthening, noting that planning and capacity building are essential for systemic sustainability that will outlast individual project cycles.
Dr. Augustina Okem, Chairperson of the Yala Local Government WASH Committee, expressed enthusiasm for institutionalizing WASH activities at the grassroots level. She noted that the sustainability plan will address water-related health issues affecting communities throughout the state and local government areas.
At the end of the two-day exercise, stakeholders unanimously endorsed the sustainability plan as a guiding framework for strengthening WASH systems in Cross River State. The plan is built on critical elements including institutional resilience—building strong, independent institutions capable of delivering WASH services beyond project cycles and ensuring long-term sustainability.
The validation of the STG-WASH Sustainability Plan represents a significant step toward achieving universal access to clean water and improved sanitation across Cross River State. With unified commitment from government, civil society, development partners, and communities, the state is positioned to meet its goal of becoming open defecation-free while establishing resilient, community-owned WASH systems that will serve residents for generations to come.
By Nakanda Iyadim
