Stakeholders Demand Immediate Release of ₦50 Million Sanitation Loan Fund in Kaduna
By Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna
A powerful call to action emerged on Thursday as stakeholders at the 2025 Kaduna State Safely Managed Sanitation (SMS) Workshop demanded the urgent release of ₦50,000,000 as a revolving sanitation loan fund.
The fund, they emphasized, should be managed by pre-qualified Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) to enable low-income households to construct durable, climate-resilient toilets.
The high-level workshop, held in Kaduna, was organized by the Kaduna State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) in collaboration with UNICEF and the Netherlands Government’s Directorate General of International Cooperation (DGIS), under the ASWA III (Accelerating Sanitation and Water for All – Phase III) Project.
With just six months left for Kaduna to meet its 2025 Open Defecation Free (ODF) target, stakeholders warned that without immediate financing solutions, the State risks missing its commitment under the Sustainable Development Goal 6.2 to ensure universal access to sanitation and hygiene.
In a jointly signed communiqué, stakeholders from government MDAs, civil society, academia, the private sector, and development partners, stressed that the ₦50 million loan scheme is not just a financial tool but a strategic lever to unlock progress toward safely managed sanitation (SMS) in Kaduna.
“The release of this revolving fund is a crucial step to supporting poor households that want to build toilets but simply cannot afford it. Without this financial push, we cannot move the needle on safely managed sanitation,” the communique said.
The workshop, attended by 60 participants, also produced a range of key resolutions. Stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to align Kaduna State sanitation policies with the national safely managed sanitation agenda and emphasized the need to address funding gaps through coordinated support and implementation.
They agreed to intensify joint problem-solving efforts among relevant MDAs to support the statewide push toward ODF status for all 23 LGAs.
They expressed strong commitment to mainstreaming gender equity, climate resilience, and sustainability as foundational elements in all sanitation programming. The need for the Kaduna State Government to designate and formalize faecal sludge disposal sites in each LGA was highlighted to ensure safe and efficient waste management.
Stakeholders also emphasized the importance of creating a conducive environment to attract private sector investments into Kaduna’s sanitation economy.
They urged media practitioners to intensify public sensitization and behavior change campaigns to promote sanitation as a shared responsibility.
In addition, the stakeholders appealed to the Executive Governor of Kaduna State to graciously approve the timely release of WASH Units’ monthly operational funds.
They strongly recommended that these funds be charged directly to the unified Local Government Council overhead costs to ensure sustained and effective monitoring of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene activities across the state.
The communique was jointly signed by Dr. Mahmud Lawal, Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Local Government Affairs on behalf of the Commissioner, Mr. David Damian, WASH Officer, UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, Engr. Mubarak Shehu Ladan Director General KADRUWASSA, and seven other key actors.
As Kaduna inches toward its sanitation deadlines, the workshop sent a strong message of political will, strategic financing, and community-driven implementation that must converge urgently.
