13th November, 2022
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack on Saturday said Nigeria was ready to hold the 2022 World Toilet Summit in Abuja.
Walson-Jack also said the country would commence a toilet revolution that would encourage African countries to build and use toilets for a healthier and hygienic society.
Nigeria will be the second country in Africa to host the summit from Nov. 18 to 19, with a theme: ‘‘Towards Sanitation Innovations for Economic Development”.
Walson-Jack said the summit was expected to enable participants, exhibitors and other stakeholders in the water and sanitation sector to have a wider range of vision within the sanitation value chain.
According to her, the summit is organised by the Government of Nigeria, the Organized Private Sector in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH) and the World Toilet Organisation.
She said the summit would be a platform for stakeholders, development partners and high-level decision-makers to better strategise and address in-country sanitation challenges.
Walson-Jack said: “ The hosting right was granted to Nigeria earlier this year by the WTO, and Nigeria is the second country in Africa to be granted the hosting rights after South Africa in 2012.
“The 2022 World Toilet Summit’s theme is ‘Sanitation Innovations for Economic Development’. It is geared towards bringing to the fore the opportunities in the circular sanitation economy and the enabling environment needed to maximise it.
“The summit is expected to expose the investment opportunities in the sanitation sector that could be taken up by the private sector.
“This would drive demand and increase access to sustainable sanitation services in the country, thereby accelerating the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2025.’’