World Water Day: CSOs urge FG to prioritise women in resources management

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Civil society groups have urged the Federal Government and African leaders to place women at the centre of water governance.

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They warned that Nigeria’s worsening water crisis cannot be addressed without inclusive and democratic ownership of water resources.

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The call was made in a statement issued by the spokesperson for Help Initiative for Social Justice and Humanitarian Development, Marv Nelson, to mark World Water Day on Friday.

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The 2026 World Water Day is themed “Water and Gender,” with the slogan “Where water flows, equality grows.”

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The global commemoration, co-led by UNICEF and UN Women, highlights the link between water access, gender equality, and public health, stating that communities thrive when women have equal access to water and a voice in its management.

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The coalition said women and girls across the Global South continue to bear the burden of sourcing and managing water, a responsibility that limits their educational and economic opportunities.

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A human rights activist with the Help Initiative group, Aderonke Ige, said women and girls face disproportionate water insecurity in Nigeria, especially in vulnerable communities affected by environmental degradation.

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She noted that across sub-Saharan Africa, women spend over 200 million hours daily collecting water, often under unsafe conditions.

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She added that more than 70 million Nigerians still lack access to safely managed drinking water.

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“Water is life, but for millions of women and girls, it is also a daily struggle that robs them of time, dignity, education, and economic opportunity. Any conversation about water justice that ignores gender is incomplete,” she said.

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Also, Reverend Kolade Fadahunsi of the Ecumenical Water Network of Nigeria stressed that women must be included in decision-making processes to achieve key global targets, such as the Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality and clean water access.

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The coalition called on governments across Africa to adopt gender-responsive water policies, increase public investment in water infrastructure—particularly in underserved communities—and reject privatisation models that could limit access.

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They also demanded stronger accountability and transparency in water governance, insisting that inclusive systems are critical to tackling the continent’s deepening water crisis.

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