By Abdulkareem Haruna

In a significant move towards creating a sustainable Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) policy in Borno State, the Ministry of Water Resources unveiled a new document outlining the WASH sector monitoring and evaluation framework.

The historic event took place at a one-day M&E Framework dissemination meeting held at the Pinnacle Hotel in Maiduguri, Borno state.

The unveiling was conducted by the acting commissioner and permanent secretary, Hajiya Mairo, who called on participants to study the document thoroughly and align themselves with the government’s plans for sustainable WASH policy implementation across the state.

Hajiya Mairo also revealed that a master plan for water sanitation is being developed for Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Jere in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

While Borno State has not yet passed the draft policy on WASH, the publication of this framework is widely regarded as a positive step towards the eventual legislation of a much-needed WASH bill.

Hajiya Mairo emphasized the importance of WASH sector transformation in improving the lives of the citizens and highlighted the necessity for community involvement in maintaining facilities and monitoring progress.

She also urged stakeholders to actively engage in the various platforms provided by the Ministry of Water Resources for information gathering and tracking effective performance.

The Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at the Water Resources Ministry, Aminu Mohammed, said the development of the framework involved a participatory and consultative process, incorporating strategic reviews and extensive stakeholder meetings to select performance indicators for tracking programs and projects.

“The Honourable Commissioner approved the final document on behalf of the state government,” he said.

Participants at the M&E Framework Disseminaton Meeting

Dr. Kabiru Abbas, gave an enlightening presentation on the key highlights and summary of the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, addressing topics such as the framework’s objectives, guiding principles, data demand and use, performance indicators, data quality assurance, and building human resource capacity for monitoring and evaluation.

Additionally, M&E Officer Joseph from LABDI provided insights into the major benefits and implementation strategies of the newly unveiled framework.

The launch of the WASH sector monitoring and evaluation framework signifies a crucial step in Borno State’s journey towards establishing a sustainable WASH policy.

With continued collaboration between the government, stakeholders, and the community, the state is well on its way to improving the lives of its citizens through better access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services.

Dare, an official of LABDI who is the facilitator of meeting implored participants to take advantage of the unveiled M&E framework, and lessons learnt during the meeting to amplify the advocacy for WASH policy bill legislation in the state.

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