Kemi Busari
Indigenes of Cross River state can now breathe a new ease of life as the state will benefit from the Water and Development Alliance (WADA) project.
The WADA project is a joint initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Coca-Cola Company.
The $2 million project will provide up to 100,000 citizens in Cross River State access to safe drinking water and good sanitation facilities by 2019.
This joint investment is aligned with USAID and Coca Cola’s shared focus on clean water provision as a means to help build healthy, sustainable communities in Nigeria.
“The U.S. Government is committed to engaging in effective and innovative alliances with committed partners to support Nigeria’s critical development needs,” said William Steuer, Acting U.S. Consul General in Lagos.
“We are proud to collaborate with Coca-Cola to bring a sustainable and safe water solution to thousands of people in Nigeria,” he added.
During the signing event, USAID Director to Nigeria, Michael T. Harvey said, “Today, we are consolidating a special partnership, one in which a private firm has joined with a U.S. Government Agency to contribute to a priority set by the Government of Nigeria.”
The USAID/ Coca Cola partnership which has existed in Nigeria since 2007 have improved water resource management and expanded sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation services in states like Kano and Enugu.
The WADA project helps to control and prevent water-related diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and diarrhea by providing water and sanitation services, hygiene education, and establishing Water, Environment, and Sanitation Committees in communities where the project works.
