The Federal Government has emphasised the need for unity and teamwork among ECOWAS countries for proper utilisation of abundant surface and underground water resources to improve on the lives of the people in the sub-region.
Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Professor Joseph Terlumun Utsev made the call Friday while declaring open the Fifth Ordinary Session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee of the Integrated Water Resources Management in West Africa held in Abuja.
According to Professor Utsev, the region is endowed with abundant water resources that if properly harnessed, coordinated and managed, will serve as a cornerstone for the development and advancement of the people and impact positively on health, education, tourism, food security, energy and the general well-being of the people.
He however observed that lack of proper coordination of water resources has remained a major challenge, warning that if not properly addressed could lead to underdevelopment and conflict among countries within the sub-region.
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Acknowledging the great amount of potentials in the sub-region, Professor Utsev pointed out that through teamwork, the region was capable of tackling its challenges such as climate change, poverty, unemployment and inequality among others.
He thanked the leadership of the Water Resources Management Centre for selecting Nigeria to be one of the countries to benefit from the 2024 ECOWAS Special Project Implementation for Access to Drinking Water in Rural Areas, assuring them that his ministry would leverage on its expertise to ensure that the project was seamlessly delivered.
A statement by the Minister’s Personal Assistant on Media and Publicity, Terhemen Oraduen says the meeting, which was attended by Ministers of Water within the ECOWAS sub-region and other critical stakeholders in the water sector, is expected to come out with far reaching recommendations and resolutions that will reposition the water sector in West Africa.
