Sadiq GulmaThis post originally appeared on Green Habitat’s blog.
Actors and stakeholders in the water sector often ask what we must do to close the water gap. Doing things in a business-as-usual way will not close the widening water gap. It calls for a new approach to addressing water issues. New ideas that will accelerate closing the gap are imperative for all stakeholders. While this journey will take time, the time to start planting these seeds of innovation has never been now than before. This innovation agenda, “planting seeds of innovation,” was the theme of the recently concluded 2023 World Water Week held in Stockholm, Sweden.
Over the five days of the conference, I joined numerous stakeholders in different sessions, discussing innovative ideas in the financing, water treatment, protection, governance, collaboration, and management needed to close the gap. There were thousands of ideas shared by stakeholders from all over the world.
World Water Week is an excellent opportunity for stakeholders to learn about new ideas they can borrow, adapt, and implement in their own contexts. However, there was no single representative of any Nigerian government, federal or state, at this critical event. Nigeria’s access to basic water remains lagging behind regional peers and shamefully crowning us as the country with the largest number of people without access to basic and sanitation facilities in Africa.
With the humongous challenge in front of us, we should strive for innovation in the sector that can accelerate closing the gap. We should be interested in meeting new stakeholders who bring fresh thoughts, great ideas, and innovations to the sector.
A constant statement from many participants is the need to put social innovation at the core and fore of all (tech and economic) innovations. In simple terms, it is about addressing the water challenge through the recognition of mobilizing or empowering actors and citizens to participate in this movement to provide for the need. It is about innovations in social relations, putting people at the centre of those innovations regarding adoption and sustainability. The targets of SDGs can only be achieved and sustained if people accept them.
Closing this gap cannot be done by a single sector. It requires cross-sector and multi-actor collaborations. The outgone 1st water envoy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mr. Henk Ovink, mentioned during the event it is not always about disruption. Sometimes, you need to understand how things and organizations work and then use that knowledge to make the impact you wish for come to reality. In one of the sessions I participated in, a poll was conducted for us to choose from a list of the most significant barriers to collaboration. The most voted option was, of course, a lack of understanding of each other.
Significant progress in closing the water gap requires innovative governance strategies and approaches. Either for setting the right short-term and long-term goals and vision, providing the enabling environment for other solutions to emerge, or the right policies and frameworks for actors to perform better. As one of the speakers rightly mentioned, there is no golden standard for an enabling environment. Contextualized policies and frameworks are needed. This innovative governance is expected to come not just from state actors but also from other stakeholders. Working together is therefore a necessity.
Some reasons the water gap exists cannot be entirely said to be because of limited funding. However, the triple increase in water financing is still a critical pillar that needs to be built. Experts at the conference mentioned that most states worldwide don’t spend over 75% of their budgets. Budget expenditure continues to be a challenge. This calls for innovative financing in the sector. Funders and financiers should work towards building the capacity of actors in the spending of their funds and finding new ways or actors capable of meriting being funded.
The World Water Week is held annually in Stockholm. It is the biggest gathering of water stakeholders from all over the world. Stakeholders in the water sector in Nigeria, especially the government, cannot afford to miss this annual event due to the immense opportunity it offers to promote ideas, understanding and collaboration.
Sadiq Abubakar Gulma.