The permanent secretary of the federal ministry of water resources, Dame Didi Walson-Jack, has stated that the 2013 water resources masterplan is a priority to the ministry.
She made the statement on Thursday at the opening ceremony of a two-day capacity building workshop for proper understanding of the contents of the 2013 national water resources masterplan.
The PS said that the national water resources masterplan was developed by the ministry, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in 1995 as an integrated plan involving development, utilization and management of the water sector in Nigeria.
She disclosed that the 1995 masterplan was also the first conceptual framework for optimization of the nation’s water resources, as well as financial and economic investment optimization.
This was also done with a view to achieving accelerated growth in integrated and coordinated water resources development and management, agricultural production and food security.
Speaking further, Mrs Walson-Jack informed the participants that the 2013 water resources masterplan was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on July 3, 2014.
She also noted that the masterplan is expected to guide all developmental activities in the water sector, and that it is against this background, that the ministry deemed it fit to organize a two-day capacity building workshop for the project monitoring unit and other technical staff of the ministry and its agencies in order to equip them with the necessary skills for proper understanding of the contents of the 2013 masterplan.
There are also key performance indicators (KPIs) and expected outcomes that are specific to the various sub-sectors in water resources, as well as the unified template developed for tracking the level of implementation of projects and programmes identified in the 2013 plan.
The PS commended the director of water resources, planning and technical support services on her choice of resource persons by choosing retired civil servants from the water resources ministry, but advised that there is a need for the director to spread her drag-net to other sectors that interface with the water sector in subsequent workshops, as the water resources roadmap is all encompassing for all facets of the nation’s daily life.
Mrs Didi Walson-Jack equally acknowledged the role of the press and public relations unit in ensuring that the workshop was given a wide coverage by various media houses and expressed gratitude to the director of of press and public relations unit, Mrs Kenechukwu Offie, for her diligence.
The director of water resources, planning and technical support services, Mrs Alice Ojowu, in her welcome address, noted that the 2013 water resources masterplan document is due for review and hoped that the participants will have a better understanding of the it at the end of the two-day workshop to facilitate further review of the plan in line with prevailing realities in the country.
On his part, former coordinating director NIWRMC, Engr. R. A. K Jimoh, who gave the overview of the 2013 wational water resources masterplan, said that the strategies are in five stages and advocated proper funding of the water resources planning and technical support services department for proper functioning and monitoring of the implementation of the national water resources masterplan.
