Civil society groups have urged the Federal Government and African leaders to place women at the centre of water governance.
They warned that Nigeria’s worsening water crisis cannot be addressed without inclusive and democratic ownership of water resources.
The call was made in a statement issued by the spokesperson for Help Initiative for Social Justice and Humanitarian Development, Marv Nelson, to mark World Water Day on Friday.
The 2026 World Water Day is themed “Water and Gender,” with the slogan “Where water flows, equality grows.”
The global commemoration, co-led by UNICEF and UN Women, highlights the link between water access, gender equality, and public health, stating that communities thrive when women have equal access to water and a voice in its management.
The coalition said women and girls across the Global South continue to bear the burden of sourcing and managing water, a responsibility that limits their educational and economic opportunities.
A human rights activist with the Help Initiative group, Aderonke Ige, said women and girls face disproportionate water insecurity in Nigeria, especially in vulnerable communities affected by environmental degradation.
She noted that across sub-Saharan Africa, women spend over 200 million hours daily collecting water, often under unsafe conditions.
She added that more than 70 million Nigerians still lack access to safely managed drinking water.
“Water is life, but for millions of women and girls, it is also a daily struggle that robs them of time, dignity, education, and economic opportunity. Any conversation about water justice that ignores gender is incomplete,” she said.
Also, Reverend Kolade Fadahunsi of the Ecumenical Water Network of Nigeria stressed that women must be included in decision-making processes to achieve key global targets, such as the Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality and clean water access.
The coalition called on governments across Africa to adopt gender-responsive water policies, increase public investment in water infrastructure—particularly in underserved communities—and reject privatisation models that could limit access.
They also demanded stronger accountability and transparency in water governance, insisting that inclusive systems are critical to tackling the continent’s deepening water crisis.