Abuja: The World Bank has announced its ongoing commitment to promoting disability-inclusive access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services in Nigeria through its $700 million Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (SURWASH) programme. This was reaffirmed during a roundtable discussion held on Friday in Abuja, which saw participation from sector stakeholders, civil society organisations, and representatives of persons with disabilities.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the meeting focused on evaluating progress, identifying existing gaps, and proposing inclusive solutions within the framework of the SURWASH programme’s implementation. Ms Awa Diagne, the Task Team Lead for SURWASH at the World Bank, emphasized that the programme is designed as a systemic, performance-based platform to enhance national delivery systems across Nigeria, rather than being a one-time intervention. Diagne highlighted that SURWASH is aimed at strengthening national systems to deliver WASH services to everyone, especially people living with disabilities.
Diagne further explained that the programme integrates disability inclusion into its performance-based financing model and supports the development of policies and guidelines that are context-specific to improve service delivery. The discussions underscored the importance of inclusive design that transcends physical infrastructure, ensuring accessibility addresses various disabilities including mobility, visual, hearing, and cognitive challenges. She urged that disability inclusion should be viewed as integral to design, planning, and implementation, rather than as an additional component.
Cindy Ikeaka, Senior Social Development Specialist at the World Bank, also spoke at the event, pointing out the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in accessing essential services in Nigeria. She cited statistics indicating that over 25 million Nigerians live with disabilities, many of whom are excluded from public services due to inaccessible infrastructure and weak enforcement of inclusion policies. Ikeaka called for stronger implementation of Nigeria’s Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, passed in 2019, and highlighted the need for mechanisms to ensure enforcement.
Mr Abdulhamid Gwaram, the National Programme Coordinator for SURWASH, reiterated that disability inclusion in Nigeria’s WASH sector is both a development priority and a legal obligation. He referenced the 2019 disability rights law mandating inclusive public services and infrastructure, stressing that inadequate planning and design continue to limit access for persons with disabilities. Gwaram emphasized the need to decentralize the initiative to achieve real impact in states and local governments.
Mr Tony Agwuna, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, added his voice to the call for greater disability inclusion in WASH programming across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). He advocated for the disaggregation of programme data to reflect the experiences of people with disabilities and ensure their inclusion from planning through to implementation. Agwuna stressed that inclusive WASH is a human rights issue central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the SURWASH programme is being implemented in seven states: Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Plateau, and Katsina.