Country Strategy for 2006-2011

In this, the second Nigeria country programme strategy which runs from 2006 to 2011, we set out our ambitious plans to make a significant contribution to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria. These targets, agreed by all governments, aim to tackle world poverty through actions including halving the proportion of people without access to safe water and sanitation by 2015.

The strategy's five-year timeframe coincides with the first half of the UN International Decade for Action on Water, called 'Water for life'.
This gives us an unprecedented opportunity to lobby for water, sanitation and hygiene for all in an international arena, giving more of the world's poorest people the chance of a better future.
This strategy was developed with wide participation and consultation of key stakeholders in Nigeria. It builds on WaterAid's learning from its seventeen country programmes, but most especially from our work in Nigeria over the past 10 years.

Key Shifts

This second Nigeria country programme strategy will consolidate our achievements respond to the changing internal and external environment, seize emerging sector opportunities and help us to manage our increasing organizational profile, growth and development.
The programme will primarily empower local governments to carry out their mandate for coordination of water and sanitation services by building their capacity in surveying, planning, financing, coordinating and improving service quality. Our partnerships with NGOs and the growing range of institutions in other sectors will be reoriented to emphasise this. WaterAid will strengthen pro-poor approaches and scale up programmes with the urban component increasing from 8% to 30% of our work. To build sustainability, WaterAid will also promote inclusive vulnerability assessment of water resources.

WaterAid Nigeria's Overall Strategic Objective

The overall strategic objective for WaterAid Nigeria for 2006 to 2011 is to increase access to sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene promotion services for the poor in the target areas, and more widely to support local development processes through co-ordination and replication.

The country programme will focus on capacity building to improve information gathering, local government planning and monitoring systems; facilitating networking, information and experience sharing; development and replication of successful integrated programme approaches at local levels; and sharing these at national level.

This will lead to improved governance at the community and local government levels, with a replicable effect at state and national levels. We will implement model interventions to support this process, and provide direct access to services for poor communities. We will also target improved awareness and cross-sector collaboration between water and sanitation initiatives and agencies of and for differently-abled people, people living with HIV & AIDS, elderly people and other excluded groups, developing good practice for inclusive interventions.