Presidential Summit on Water

Innovative Funding of the Water Sector in Nigeria

18th 19th February, 2013

Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, State House,

Abuja, NIGERIA.

At the kind invitation of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, a Summit on Water will be hosted by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR as the Chief Convener on 18th and 19th February, 2013 at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, State House, Abuja, Nigeria. Water is generally recognised as the greatest driving force for economic development of our nation and there is therefore need for more commitment to economic investment in water for improvement in the provision and access of our people to clean water and sanitation. However, it is noted that the overall investment in water infrastructure is very low in Nigeria and this is the major reason for the countrys low performance in the attainment of the MDGs targets. This situation places the country among the countries in the world that are off track in the implementation of the MDGs in water and sanitation sectors. It is well known fact that investment in water bring multiplier returns of 4-10 times in economic benefits, which include better health as 60 percent of hospital patients in Nigeria have ailments related to water borne diseases, so infrastructural investment in clean water supplies, will obviously reduce medical costs. This will, at the community level, also lead to increases in number of children in schools and better access to educational opportunities especially for the girl-child, and for the women to be more productively engaged in other communal socio-economic activities, as they would otherwise spend long hours trekking kilometres in search of water. Modern technology and capacity building to bridge the operational, maintenance and safety for optimum use of water resources infrastructures requires adequate funding for sustainability. Furthermore, in realization that development of water infrastructures is highly capital intensive and with dwindling funding from the line budgetary allocation, there is the urgent need to attract other available resources for funding of the water sector. It is therefore important to invest wisely in water sector and manage it in a sustainable way which brings us to the need for innovative funding and alternate private sector support which are required to fill the financial resource gap in the development of the Water sector.

BACKGROUND

The Presidential Summit on Water will therefore be a catalyst to proffer solutions to some of the sectors challenges, for which Mr. President is leading in the ownership and as the Chief Convener of this drive and initiative for the Water reform process.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The theme of the Summit is Innovative Funding of the Water Sector in Nigeria There are five subthemes which are: i) Sub-theme 1 Funding Water and Sanitation as a Key Development Driver ii) Sub-theme 2 Enhancing Water Sector funding in a Federative setting iii) Sub-theme 3 Imperative of funding Water Sector within the context of Climate Change iv) Sub-theme 4 - Improving Public Private Partnership in the Water Sector v) Sub-theme 5 The Role of Development Partners and Donor Agencies The aims and objectives of the Summit are to: a) Bring issues surrounding sustainable water services in Nigeria to the limelight for national and international discourse and channel the way forward; b) Create avenue for alternative funding of water infrastructures development, operation and maintenance; c) Enhance cooperative funding of the water sector among Federal, State and Local Governments; d) Mobilize more support from Development Partners; International Financial Institutions, Donors, NGOs and Bilateral sources. e) Create opportunities for Public Private Partnerships in the water sector.

The 2-day Summit is expected to be attended by high profile guests including the President, Senegalese President, Former Presidents of Nigeria and Ghana, Prime Minister of Egypt, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, all the 36 State Governors, Africa Ministers Council on Water President, Honourable Ministers, Distinguished Senators, Honourable Members of the House of Representatives, Association of Local Government of Nigeria Chairman, Captains of Industry, Head of International Organizations and key sector practitioners. The Summit which is planned to be highly informative and interactive among political leaders, policy makers, and the private sector and water practitioners will be organized as a two-day programme on 18th 19th February, 2013 which will commence with an Opening Session that will have a Keynote Address by His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. This will be followed by 5-subtheme Panel Discussion sessions with each of the session addressing the respective subthemes. There will be a concluding session of Open Plenary on Using Public Private Partnership PPP to deliver Water Projects in a Town Hall meeting forum. The Summit will also offer an opportunity for the Ministry to sign respective Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Graduate Irrigation Farming Project in which some firms had indicated interest in making investment in its development under a PPP initiative. The Closing Session of the Summit will have His Excellency, Arch. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, GCON, Vice President of Nigeria, give the Closing Remarks of the Summit. The expected outcomes of the Summit are as follows: i) Awareness of the multi-level impact of water and sanitation and climate change on the national economic growth; ii) Dialogue amongst Federal, State and Local Governments on cooperative and funding of the water sector; iii) Increased funding and better targeting of investment for sustainable impact in the water sector; and iv) Opportunities for private sector investment in the water sector in Nigeria.

EXPECTED RESULTS

 Language of the Summit The deliberations of the Summit will be conducted in English only. Proceedings of the Summit A presentation of Communiqu of the Summit will be made at the plenary closure while a Technical publication of the Proceedings of the Summit will be published by Federal Ministry of Water Resources thereafter. Registration This can be done on line by visiting the website www.presidentialwatersummit2013.com.ng For further information please contact the following:

INFORMATION

Ambassador (Dr) Godknows Igali, OON, FNAH, Permanent Secretary, (Rappourteur-General of Summit) Federal Ministry of Water Resources, P.M.B. 159 , Garki, Abuja, Nigeria. Email : igalibuea@yahoo.com Olufemi Odumosu, (Chairman, Local Organising Committee), Director, Special Duties, Office of Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, P.M.B. 159, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria. E-mail: olufemiodumosu@yahoo.com Engr. Benson Ajisegiri, (Secretary, Local Organising Committee), Deputy Director, Water Reforms & PPP Unit, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, P.M.B. 159, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria. E-mail: bajisegiri@yahoo.com