UNICEF, China Eximbank collaborate to boost WASH services in Nigeria

• Targets 110 million children

By Fred Ezeh, Abuja

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the China Exim Bank have entered into a partnership to strengthen Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services for vulnerable children in Nigeria.

UNICEF stated that the intervention is expected to benefit 110 million children across 12 healthcare facilities, 21 schools, 17 markets, and 450 communities in several states, including the FCT, by providing access to improved basic WASH services.

A statement from UNICEF’s office in Nigeria confirmed that the partnership, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), was signed at China Exim Bank’s office in Beijing. The agreement followed a meeting attended by the bank’s Vice President, Yang Dongning, UNICEF Representative to China, Amakobe Sande, and Nigeria’s Acting Charge d’Affaires to China, Mr Jimmy Patrick Ebi.

The MoU highlighted UNICEF’s role as a trusted partner for multilateral development banks and financial institutions, supporting them in achieving greater social impact for children.

UNICEF Representative to China, Amakobe Sande, expressed gratitude to China Exim Bank for the partnership, noting that it would help reduce the risk of waterborne diseases and improve essential services for children’s well-being.

She added that UNICEF hopes this collaboration marks the beginning of further opportunities to accelerate child health and development goals worldwide.

UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, stressed that waterborne diseases pose a serious and ongoing risk to children’s lives and well-being. “This programme will help realise the rights of many thousands of children by improving healthcare services in Nigeria,” she said.

She noted that UNICEF Nigeria is committed to ensuring that more children and their families have equitable access to climate-resilient and safely managed water and sanitation facilities while promoting safe hygiene practices.

The partnership with China Exim Bank will also facilitate the expansion of quality and comprehensive primary healthcare services, including maternal and newborn care, as well as immunisation services, in healthcare facilities and communities.

Additionally, it aims to enhance access to essential services through community engagement, social mobilisation, and behaviour change initiatives. The collaboration will also strengthen WASH-related systems, capacity, and institutions.

Munduate further stated that UNICEF and China Exim Bank will jointly mobilise financial resources, provide technical expertise in programme implementation and financing, explore innovative funding mechanisms, and promote local procurement, capacity building, and knowledge sharing.

She emphasised that UNICEF remains deeply committed to securing financial resources and developing innovative financing solutions to support children in humanitarian emergencies and in some of the world’s least developed countries.