The Federal Government, on Tuesday, disclosed that Nigeria is currently off-track concerning progress on achieving the global Sustainable Development Goal sanitation target and is regrettably among those behind.
It also stated that the country loses about three billion dollars annually due to poor sanitation arising from unsanitary or shared toilets and open defecation.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, who disclosed this in Abuja at the National Workshop on Safely Managed Sanitation, however, stated that the government was working hard to tackle the identified concerns.
This, according to Utsev, came with high disparities in access across wealth quintiles and locations, noting that the opportunities across the sanitation value chain could contribute to a reduction in healthcare costs, improved productivity, job creation, and economic growth.
He said, “The Sustainable Development Goal target 6.2 for sanitation seeks to ‘achieve by 2030, access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.’
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