The Zamfara State Government has inaugurated a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Coordination Centre in a move aimed at strengthening coordination and improving access to safe water and sanitation services across rural communities in the state.
On Wednesday, June 25, 2026, in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, the centre was officially inaugurated during a ceremony attended by senior government officials and stakeholders in the water and sanitation sector. The initiative was announced through the state Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWATSAN), which said it would serve as a central platform for coordinating WASH interventions across different implementing bodies.
The Programme Manager of RUWATSAN, Dr Abubakar Nasir Galadima, who spoke at the inauguration, described the establishment of the centre as the fulfilment of a long-standing effort to improve sector coordination and planning in the state’s water and sanitation system.
He said the absence of a dedicated coordination mechanism in the past had made it difficult for stakeholders to align their activities, leading to fragmented implementation of water and sanitation projects across communities.
Dr Galadima explained that the new facility would help harmonise the work of government agencies, development partners, and non-governmental organisations involved in WASH programmes across Zamfara State.
According to him, the centre will also improve data collection, monitoring, and evaluation of ongoing water supply and sanitation projects, ensuring better planning and accountability in service delivery.
Officials said the initiative is expected to support rural communities where access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation facilities remains limited, particularly in remote and underserved areas.
Health and development experts have long warned that poor water and sanitation infrastructure contributes significantly to the spread of preventable diseases, including cholera and other waterborne infections, especially in rural parts of north-west Nigeria.
The establishment of the coordination centre is part of broader efforts by the state government and development partners to improve public health outcomes and achieve sustainable development targets related to water and sanitation.
The RUWATSAN agency noted that before the creation of the centre, WASH-related programmes were often implemented independently by different actors, resulting in duplication of efforts and gaps in coverage.
The new structure is expected to provide a unified framework for planning and implementation, allowing stakeholders to better target communities most in need of intervention.
Stakeholders present at the inauguration said improved coordination would also strengthen the sustainability of water infrastructure projects, many of which have faced challenges related to maintenance and long-term functionality in the past.
Zamfara State, like many parts of northern Nigeria, continues to face infrastructural challenges in rural water supply, with several communities relying on unsafe or distant water sources.
The WASH sector in Nigeria has increasingly received attention from government agencies and international partners as part of efforts to improve living conditions and reduce health risks linked to poor sanitation.
Officials emphasised that the success of the new coordination centre would depend on effective collaboration between all actors in the sector, as well as sustained government commitment to funding and implementation.
The inauguration reflects ongoing efforts by the Zamfara State Government to strengthen public service delivery systems, particularly in critical areas such as health, education, agriculture, and rural infrastructure.
As implementation begins, attention will focus on how effectively the centre can improve coordination among stakeholders and translate planning into measurable improvements in water and sanitation access for rural communities.
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