By Donald Ojebo
ASABA/Nigeria: The Delta State Ministry of Water Resources Development, in collaboration with the Nigeria Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) Programme, has commemorated the 2026 World Water Day with a strong call for gender inclusion in water governance and sanitation practices.
The one-day sensitisation programme, held at the Isoko South Local Government Council Secretariat in Oleh, brought together critical stakeholders under the theme, “Water and Gender Equality,” to examine the intersection between access to water and the empowerment of women in community development.
In her presentation, the Director of the Sanitation Department at the Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (STOWASSA), Mrs. Endurance Magini, underscored the importance of community-driven sanitation initiatives, stressing that integrating gender perspectives into water governance remains key to achieving sustainable outcomes.
Also speaking, the Social and Safeguards Officer of the State Programme Coordination Unit (SPCU), Mrs. Amina Okoro, delivered a paper titled “Empowering Women for Equitable Water Management,” where she highlighted the indispensable role of women in ensuring water security and advocated for policies that are gender-responsive and inclusive.
Adding further perspective, the Institutional and Policy Development Officer of the SPCU, Barrister Friday Ohworoke, in his presentation titled “Where Water Flows, Equality Grows: Unlocking Gender Justice Through Clean Water and Sanitation,” noted that access to clean water is fundamental to advancing gender equity and driving socio-economic development.
Participants at the event included members of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committees (WASHCOMs), Water Consumer Associations (WCAs) from SURWASH benefiting communities, officials of the Environment Department of the Isoko South Local Government Council, as well as representatives of civil society organisations, faith-based groups, and students from primary and secondary schools.
As part of activities marking the global observance, the team extended its outreach to Evoja Primary School in Oleh, where pupils were sensitised on the importance of water, sanitation, hygiene practices, and the need to promote gender equality in access and management.
Speaking with journalists at the end of the programme, Barrister Ohworoke emphasised that the theme of the year goes beyond awareness creation, insisting that deliberate actions must be taken to achieve measurable progress in gender inclusion within the water sector.
He stressed the need to deepen women’s participation at the grassroots level, particularly within WASHCOM structures, noting that such involvement is critical to strengthening community ownership and sustainability of water projects.
Ohworoke further explained that recommendations from the sensitisation exercise are aligned with the SURWASH Programme Result Areas and Disbursement Linked Indicators, adding that they are strategically designed to support the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The event, he said, reaffirmed the Delta State Government’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to water and sanitation services, while positioning gender equality as a central pillar in the pursuit of sustainable development across communities.
