Beneficiary states of the National Urban Water Sector Reform Projects funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) are meeting in Kano for project Coordination and review.
In the annual 2-day workshop that started on Wednesday, Kano state is hosting Plateau, Ondo Enugu and Ogun states, begining from Wednesday in which the AFD project will be scrutinized for better implementation.
The project in Kano state will cost more that N177.4 billion (€64 million), with the Federal Ministry of Finance as guarantor, which will involve the establishment of new water works at Challawa and Tamburawa, for the provision of portable drinking water in the greater Kano.
Delivering his address at the opening session, the Kano state Governor Abba Yusuf, who was represented by the Commissioner for Water Resources, Gwani Haruna Makoda expressed the need for the project considering the high level of population growth of the state.
“We are here for project review. This is an annual event organized by the federal ministry of water resources and sanitation board Abuja.
“As you can see we have five participating states that include Ogun, whose project has already been completed. However, it had been in the project for so many years but theirs has been completed.
“So presently the participating states now are four, that include Kano, Plateau, Ondo and Enugu.
“This is a national urban water reform project. It is a collaboration between the states involved and the French Development Agency (AFD).
“For Kano, this project will cost more than N177.4 billion (€64 million) and it involves the establishment and creation of new water works at Tamburawa and also the articulation of the main city of the Greater Kano.
“Considering the demography of Kano as the only saving grass in the north, apart from rural urban migration you see people trooping to Kano from all the states of the north. Even people from some of the West African countries are trooping to Kano. So the population is fast growing that you have to plan for the future.
“We don’t have problems as far as funding is concerned. Kano state government has signed this credit facility with AFD through the federal ministry of finance, who is the guarantor of the entire project.
“The only problem we faced is regards to the previous issues we encountered which is the COVID 19 issue and is a general and worldwide problem.
“Apart from this there are some consultants that also gave us problem within the project, but thank God we have already overcome all these issues.
“A a passionate governor, an engineer also, the only thing one can do in this regard is to provide portable drinking water to the people of Kano state and that is the main focus” he stated.
Earlier in his opening address the managing director of the Kano state water board, Garba Ahmad Bichi highlighted the history of water projects in Kano and how 455 mld facility supplying the greater Kano is achieved.
He also expressed the need for the the intervention of the AFD to assist through loan facility for construction of additional water intake station of 250 mld capacity.