Financing the water and sanitation sector across Africa
Dr. Nicholas Igwe of OPS-WASH-Nigeria argues that the African water and sanitation sector suffers from chronic underfunding due to flawed tariff systems and a lack of government coordination. He suggests that treating water as a free human right has discouraged private sector investment compared to the energy and telecommunications industries.
Why it matters
Addressing the financing gap in water infrastructure is critical for public health and economic development across the African continent.
As important as water and sanitation may be to humans, the infrastructure remains seriously underfunded.
Dr Nicholas Igwe, National Coordinator at OPS-WASH-Nigeria, explains why the w ater and sanitation sector historically struggles to get funding as opposed to the energy sector and telecoms.
He thinks the traditional definition of access to water as inherently free is flawed. “The politicians have not also made it very easy,” Igwe said ruefully.
“There is no politician or government that comes out to say that energy is free or communication…
“Everybody knows that you have to pay for you to be able to have access to energy or communication, whatever that is needed. However, in the water sector I strongly believe that the tariff system is not right .
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