Nigeria haven been granted the hosting right by the World Toilet Organization has commenced the 2022 edition of the World Toilet Summit (WTS) with the theme ‘Sanitation Innovations for Economic Development’ in Abuja, Nigeria. The WTS started with a welcome Cocktail on Thursday, 17th November, 2022 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
In her opening remarks on Friday, 18/11/2022 to welcome participants to the WTS, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Didi Esther Walson-Jack MCIPM, mni, stated that the Summit which is targeted at high level decision makers, traditional and non-traditional sector, Stakeholders from across the world which include Development Partners, the Private Sector, Sanitation Practitioners, Regulators, Civil Society, Media and the Academia is jointly organized by the Organized Private Sector in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH) and the World Toilet Organization (WTO).
According to the Permanent Secretary, the Summit is geared towards bringing to the fore the opportunities in the circular sanitation economy and the enabling environment needed to maximize it.
She further revealed that the Federal Government of Nigeria is driving the national campaign to end Open Defecation by 2025 through the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign.
The Coordinator, OPS-WASH, Dr. Nicholas Igwe moderated the first session of Five Panelists with the topic ‘scaling up the Sanitation Economy for National Development’. It featured potentials for Toilet Economy, Circular and Smart Sanitation Economy, Market based approaches, Sanitation, Health and Climate Change while the second session titled ‘Innovations for Universal Coverage’ was moderated by the founder of World Toilet Summit, Prof Jack Sim. An indepth analysis of Policies and Regulations, Institutional and Human Resource Development, Community led approaches, Technological Solutions and Financing mechanisms was x-rayed.
Other presentations include Ending Open Defecation in Nigeria: Government and Partners Perspectives, Japan Toilet Culture and Toilet Revolution in China.
Kenechukwu Offie, FNIPR
Director, Press and Public Relations.
