By Ameh Gabriel, Abuja
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector have urged the Federal Government to move beyond policy declarations and begin translating political commitments into bankable projects capable of attracting private investment.
They argued that while successive governments have pledged to improve access to clean water and sanitation, the absence of institutional frameworks that convert those commitments into commercially viable transactions has continued to discourage investors and slow infrastructure development.
Speaking on the issue, Dr. Nicholas Igwe, Global Head and National Coordinator of the Organised Private Sector in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH) and Co-founder of the Private Sector Engagement Platform (PSEP), said the gap between political promises and investment-ready projects remains one of the biggest obstacles to achieving universal water access.
“The distance between a political commitment and a bankable transaction is measured not in good intentions but in institutional work,” Igwe said.
According to him, a presidential or gubernatorial commitment to provide universal access to clean water is only the first step. For such commitments to attract private capital, they must be translated into clear regulations, standardised contracts, financial models and transparent procurement processes that give investors confidence.
“A Head of State who commits to universal water access by 2030 has done something meaningful and valuable, but only if an institution exists to convert that commitment into the regulatory framework, contractual structure, financial model and procurement process that private capital can engage with,” he said.
Without such institutional mechanisms, he warned, government promises remain declarations rather than investment opportunities.
Why government must act
Igwe noted that governments alone cannot finance the huge investments required to bridge Nigeria’s water infrastructure deficit, making private sector participation indispensable.
He explained that investors are willing to finance viable water projects but are often discouraged by policy uncertainty, weak contractual frameworks and the lack of credible institutions capable of coordinating governments, financiers and private operators.
He stressed that attracting long-term capital into the sector requires the government to create an enabling environment where risks are properly allocated and investment decisions are supported by transparent governance structures.
Call for a coordinated platform
To address these challenges, stakeholders proposed the establishment of a coordinated multi-stakeholder platform that would bring together government agencies, private investors, financial institutions and development partners to jointly structure and implement WASH projects.
According to Igwe, no single organisation can resolve the sector’s complex challenges alone because they involve political, financial, regulatory and commercial considerations.
“The barriers facing the WASH sector cannot be solved by one institution acting in isolation. What is needed is a platform that connects governments, financiers and the private sector so they can work simultaneously on specific projects,” he said.
He explained that such a platform would transform political accountability into commercial accountability by ensuring governments honour commitments while private operators deliver projects according to agreed standards.
Building investor confidence
Igwe identified three institutions whose complementary strengths could underpin the proposed framework.
He said Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) would provide international political accountability by monitoring governments’ commitments, thereby reducing sovereign risk for investors.
He added that OPS-WASH would contribute private sector expertise and market intelligence by identifying the regulatory, tariff and contractual bottlenecks preventing projects from reaching financial close.
Financial market institutions such as FMDQ Group, he said, would provide the financial market infrastructure needed to mobilise long-term capital and structure bankable transactions.
Lessons from other sectors
The stakeholders pointed to Nigeria’s telecommunications revolution and South Africa’s renewable energy programme as examples of how coordinated institutional reforms can unlock large-scale private investment.
They noted that both sectors succeeded because governments introduced clear regulations, standardised contracts, financing frameworks and effective risk-sharing mechanisms before inviting private investors.
According to them, the WASH sector requires a similar approach if Nigeria is to close its enormous water infrastructure gap.
Water is too important to ignore
Experts emphasised that access to safe water is fundamental to public health, economic productivity, education and national development.
Reliable water supply reduces the incidence of waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, lowers healthcare costs, improves school attendance and supports agriculture, manufacturing and industrial growth.
They therefore urged the Federal Government to urgently institutionalise reforms that will convert political commitments into investment-ready projects, arguing that only a strong partnership between government and the private sector can deliver sustainable access to clean water for millions of Nigerians.
