The federal government and development partners have called for stronger collaboration and increased investment to address persistent challenges in Nigeria’s urban water supply sector and expand access to safe and reliable services.

The call was made on Monday in Abuja at a workshop on Urban Water Supply Sector Report in Nigeria: Progress, Challenges and the Way Forward, organised by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation with development partners.

The workshop seeks to clarify challenges in implementing urban water reforms, identify replicable success factors, and draw lessons from local and international experiences.

Speaking on behalf of the Development Partners Group for the Water and Sanitation Sector, the ambassador of France to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Marc Fonbaustier, commended Nigeria’s reform efforts, infrastructure investments and strengthened cooperation among stakeholders.

He said representatives from 25 states attended the workshop, describing it as evidence of a strong national commitment to improving water services.

Mr Fonbaustier said Nigeria had recorded progress through governance reforms, institutional strengthening and infrastructure investments, but noted that major gaps remained.

He said many urban households still depended on boreholes, water vendors and tanker services, which were often costly, unreliable and unsafe.

“Accelerating access to sustainable, affordable and reliable water services remains a top priority,” he said.

He added that the workshop, supported by the French Development Agency, was designed to share experiences, identify practical solutions and strengthen sector collaboration.

Mr Fonbaustier disclosed that the agency had committed over €300 million to water investments across seven Nigerian states in the past decade. He said water investments go beyond infrastructure, improving health outcomes, reducing burdens on women and children, and supporting economic activity.

He also noted that water security challenges were now global, driven by climate change and rising demand.

“In some ways, Nigerians are ahead of us because you understand the realities of water security and the widening demand gap,” he said.

(NAN)