By Khalid Idris Doya
Adamawa, Nigeria, March 26, 2026(Series News Online)
The Accelerating Sanitation and Water for All (ASWA III) programme has made significant strides in promoting gender equity in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in Adamawa State, empowering 1,237 women to take on leadership roles in WASH projects.
"The goal is to place women at the centre of sustainable WASH systems, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are met," said Yusuf Aisha Isa, ASWA III Desk Officer at the Adamawa State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (ADRUWASSA).
According to Isa, the programme has reached over 121,000 women and girls across the state with essential WASH services, and has encouraged women to participate in sanitation businesses, including toilet construction and management of public facilities.
Nanbam Dawap Michael, UNICEF WASH Officer, Bauchi Field Office, noted that the initiative is helping to address the long-standing dominance of men in WASH project implementation, which has often limited women's access to services.
"Women's participation is critical to the success of WASH interventions, as it ensures that their needs are properly reflected in project design and delivery," Michael said.
The ASWA III programme is being implemented by the Adamawa State Government with support from the Government of the Netherlands and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and is playing a key role in advancing gender policy implementation within the Adamawa State Government.
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WASH Program