Northern Pulse

By Abbas Bamalli

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched the Climate Resilient Infrastructure for Basic Services (CRIBS II) project in Katsina State to strengthen 24 primary healthcare facilities and schools.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project is designed to make the schools and healthcare facilities withstand the growing impacts of climate change.

Speaking at the CRIBS II state-level inception meeting in Katsina on Tuesday, the WASH Specialist at UNICEF Kano Field Office, Uba Lawal, said the project was designed to retrofit the facilities to tackle climate change.

According to him, the project is funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and implemented by UNICEF.

He explained that the benefiting schools and healthcare facilities were in Charanchi, Mai’adua, Mani and Dutsi Local Government Areas of the state.

Lawal said the initial implementation phase of the project in Katsina would cover the four LGAs, where the selected 24 schools and primary healthcare facilities were located.

According to him, UNICEF’s climate resilience intervention will ensure that essential health and educational services continue uninterrupted even during climate-related emergencies in the selected areas.

He noted that the project focuses on upgrading water and sanitation facilities across the benefiting facilities to make them more resilient to climate hazards, while safeguarding children’s education and access to healthcare.

Lawal further disclosed that the project had already been implemented in Kano and Jigawa states, where 84 facilities benefited during the first phase, including 55 in Kano and 29 in Jigawa.

He added that while additional work would continue in Jigawa, “Katsina is now joining the programme as part of its expansion strategy to accommodate more healthcare and educational facilities.

“This project focuses on retrofitting and rehabilitating WASH facilities to ensure that schools continue to provide uninterrupted learning, while healthcare facilities sustain the delivery of essential services, even during floods, heat waves, droughts or windstorms.

“As part of the implementation strategy, contractors and project supervisors will work closely with relevant government officials.

“In addition, detailed renovation plans will be displayed at each participating school and healthcare facility to promote transparency, effective monitoring and accountability.”

The WASH specialist stressed the need for communities and governments to embrace adaptation measures and innovative solutions to build resilience against the realities of climate change.

NAN