3.9m toilets needed, 200k available: Nigeria’s open defecation crisis is business opportunity

Nigeria needs to build 3.9 million toilets each year to deal with open defecation, but currently has between 180,000 and 200,000 annually, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says.

Raising the numbers will enable the country to meet its open defecation-free target by 2025.

The huge difference between the required number of toilets and what is available leaves a promising business opportunity for entrepreneurs.

Jane Bevan, UNICEF’s chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), said on Monday at the opening of a two-day toilet business owners conference in Abuja that there is the need to create demand for toilets, bring in the private sector and strengthen sanitation markets in the country.

– Why this matters

Some 48 million people practise open defecation in Nigeria, while 95 million are without access to basic sanitation services, according to the 2021 WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping on Nigeria’s sanitation status.

– Key quotes to note

“About 1.3 per cent of GDP or N455 billion is lost annually due to poor access to sanitation – health, health care savings and productivity,” Bevan said.

“Every dollar invested in water and sanitation results in economic benefits ranging from 3 dollars to 34 dollars.

“Nigeria cannot continue business as usual or it will miss the target of 2025 and 2030. There is need to strengthen and scale up proven strategies to reach the country’s goals.

“The private sector must work closely with all tiers of government and communities to actively create sustainable solutions to address the sanitation needs of unserved and underserved communities and help grow capital investment and human capital.’’

 – Learn more

Didi Walson-Jack, permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, said that Toilet Business Owners (TBOs) would complement government’s effort towards realisation of the objective of ending open defecation in Nigeria.

“TBOs are part of the Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) that would help in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” she said.

“This is particularly noteworthy in Nigeria where the SMEs have contributed approximately 48 per cent to the national GDP over the last five years as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

“I am therefore confident that with this level of SME participation in the economy, this conference will equip the participants with a better appreciation of the potentials of these enterprises for the Sanitation Sector.”

Chukwuma Nnana, executive director, Toiletpride Initiative, said one of the biggest challenges in realising an open defecation-free environment is the “lack of enabling environment” for sanitation businesses to thrive.