Nigeria will host the 2022 World Toilet Summit, slated for November.

This was announced by Jack Sim, the founder of the World Toilet Organisation (WTO), during a virtual meeting of Water Sanitation and Hygiene Stakeholders and Development Partners on Wednesday.

Mr Sim noted that the United Nations member countries in 2013, unanimously adopted November 19, as the day to create awareness on access to toilets.

He said the summit would be a great opportunity for its members to come to Nigeria, to seek out ways to address its sanitation challenges.

He noted that Nigeria’s selection was an opportunity to showcase the extensive efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria and also to drive the intended change.

In his remarks, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, stressed that the choice of Nigeria to host the Summit was coming at a period when Nigeria had made concrete plans to exit from the comity of nations practising open defecation.

Mr Adamu recalled that the ‘Open defecation free’ (ODF) Campaign was launched in November 2019, and was aimed at mobilising high level political support, resources and the entire populace towards building a new culture of safe sanitation.

He acknowledged that Nigeria needs all necessary support to ensure that the ODF Campaign gains traction with all stakeholders playing their part.

“I am optimistic that the World Toilet Summit will provide a veritable platform for the mobilisation of the Private Sector and other critical stakeholders in addressing the challenge of Open Defecation in the country,’’ he said.

The World Toilet Organisation is a global non-profit organisation committed to improving toilet and sanitation conditions worldwide. It was founded in 2001 with 15 members and has now grown to 151 member organizations in 53 countries. 

(NAN)