Nigeria: Sustaining WASH Infrastracture through Community Ownership - May 2026

Country: Nigeria Source: Christian Blind Mission Please refer to the attached file. The report presents a post‐project assessment of disability‐inclusive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committees (WASHCOMs) established under the BMZ‐TDA–funded NoCTRAiN project in twelve communities across Plateau State, Nigeria, examining how these committees have functioned since project closure in 2023. Overall, the findings show that most WASHCOMs have endured beyond donor support, with about 58.3% remaining fully functional, 25% partially functional, and around 16.7% no longer active. Functional WASHCOMs continue to maintain and repair boreholes, mobilise community contributions, regulate water use, and promote hygiene practices, particularly handwashing and latrine use. Their sustained activity is closely linked to committed and trusted leadership, strong community ownership, visible improvements in health outcomes such as reductions in water‐related diseases and deaths, and, in some cases, continued support from local government structures or NGOs. Partially functional committees tend to mobilise only when problems arise, often due to leadership gaps, member relocation, or reduced motivation after external support ended. Non‐functional WASHCOMs are mainly associated with conflict and displacement, breakdown of leadership, unmet expectations of financial incentives for voluntary work, weak social cohesion, and an inability to finance major repairs. Across communities, borehole maintenance remains the core activity, while limited financial capacity, high repair costs, insecurity, and lack of post‐project technical support pose serious challenges to long‐term sustainability. The report concludes that the inclusive, community‐ownership‐driven WASHCOM model is effective and resilient, but its success depends on strong leadership, community trust, affordable access to repairs, and some level of structured post‐project engagement to consolidate gains and prevent system collapse.
2026-05-18 09:23:56