Commissioner Mensah expressed confidence in the government’s commitment to improving the living conditions of citizens, particularly those at the grassroots.
By Nakanda Iyadim
The Cross River State Commissioner for Water Resources, Barr. Bassey Mensah has assured stakeholders that the State’s Water Law, recently passed by the State Assembly, will soon be assented to by Governor Bassey Otu.
The Commissioner made this disclosure during a one-day capacity-building workshop on area-wide programming for safely managed sanitation, also known as Area-Wide Sanitation, held at the Ministry’s Conference hall in Calabar on Monday.
The workshop, which brought together stakeholders in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector, aimed to strengthen institutions and increase the Open Defecation Free (ODF) status in the State.
Commissioner Mensah expressed confidence in the government’s commitment to improving the living conditions of citizens, particularly those at the grassroots.
According to Mensah, “The governor has directed that the water law and the Open Defecation Prohibition Law be made available to him for assent and consideration.”
The Commissioner assured stakeholders that once the Governor returns, the laws will be assented to, marking a significant milestone in the State’s efforts to improve access to clean water and sanitation.
The Commissioner thanked Self Help Africa and the State Task Group on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (STG-WASH) for their unwavering support in the fight to attain ODF status, assuring them of greater collaboration to ensure the successful implementation of WASH programmes in the State.
In his presentation, the lead consultant, Mr James Myers of the Institute of Development Studies highlighted the importance of institutional strengthening in the WASH system.
He noted that his team was in the State to contribute to the efforts of increasing ODF status from six local government areas to all 18 local government areas.
The consultant explained that the training was designed to identify existing gaps and challenging contexts, to eliminate them for successful implementation of WASH programmes.
He emphasized the need for equitable provision of services, especially to the less privileged in the community if the programme must succeed.
The training marked a significant step in the State’s efforts to improve access to clean water and sanitation and with the Governor’s assent to the Water law and ODF prohibition law, the State is poised to make significant progress in the WASH sector.
Stakeholders at the workshop commended the Commissioner and the State government for their commitment to improving the lives of citizens.
They expressed optimism that the assent to the laws would mark a new dawn in the State’s WASH sector.
The workshop also provided a platform for stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities in the WASH sector. Participants shared experiences and best practices, highlighting the need for collaboration and partnership in achieving ODF status.
Since its inauguration, the State Task Group on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (STG-WASH) has been working tirelessly to improve access to clean water and sanitation in the State. Their efforts, combined with those of implementation partners like Self Help Africa, have yielded significant results with the implementation of the WASH system for health in the Yala Local Government Area.
This is part of the WASH Systems for Health (WS4H) Programme supported by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) and implemented by Self Help Africa (SHA).
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