A new WaterAid initiative taking place in Bauchi State, Nigeria, funded by the HSBC Water Programme, is providing training to small business owners and entrepreneurs to support the growth of their businesses, and increase community access to sanitation.
As part of the HSBC Water Programme, WaterAid Nigeria have been working with small businesses in the Kirfi area of Bauchi State selling sanitation products to scale up their businesses. As well as encouraging business growth, through making sanitary products more widely available and affordable, access to sanitation will increase in Kirfi.
The current poor sanitation coverage in Kirfi and Bauchi State presents good opportunities for sanitation marketing and local businesses, as demand for these products is high.
Within Bauchi State, 57% of residents lack access to basic sanitation services. The problem is worse in rural areas, where 65% of people do not have access to sanitation.
With WaterAid working in the area to increase awareness around the importance of sanitation, there will now be enough products available to meet this higher demand from customers, which in turn will support local businesses and the local economy.
As a result of this activity, WaterAid Nigeria are now working with 48 local businesses and entrepreneurs to scale up their business and invest in and sell sanitation products, and thereby increase the availability and affordability of sanitation products, installation and services.
Over the past five years, WaterAid and HSBC have worked together to transform lives in six countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Ghana and Nigeria. Together, we have reached 1.65 million people with clean water and 2.5 million people with sanitation and hygiene. The work funded by HSBC Water Programme allows communities to build skills, increase their productivity and future-proof economies of the regions they live in. Find out more about WaterAid’s work in partnership with HSBC.