The French Development Agency says Nigeria’s water challenge is not funding but weak system sustainability and limited utility autonomy.

The agency said this on the sidelines of the ‘Urban Water Supply Sector Report in Nigeria: Progress, Challenges and the Way Forward’ workshop in Abuja on Monday.

The workshop was organised by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation in partnership with the development partners.

According to the AFD deputy director in Abuja, Mahamadou Diarra, Africa has abundant water resources but struggles to convert them into reliable potable water services due to weak systems.

Mr Diarra said funding from development partners has been substantial, but sustainability and effective utilisation remain major gaps. He noted that functional water systems must integrate production, distribution, billing, and revenue collection, with service reliability key to cost recovery.

The AFD official added that most utilities depend heavily on state governments, while stronger political commitment has consistently improved service delivery in better-performing states.

The agency’s deputy head of the water and sanitation division, Madeleine Portmann, explained that long-standing technical recommendations in Nigeria’s water sector had not been fully implemented.

She said infrastructure interventions were only partially executed in Kano, adding that many recommendations made decades ago remain outstanding.

Ms Portmann said the AFD’s experience in Nigeria over the past 12 years showed persistent implementation gaps despite strong technical designs. She reaffirmed the AFD’s commitment to supporting reforms that strengthen institutions and ensure sustainable water service delivery.

(NAN)