CALABAR — Cross River State has signed a $42 million agreement with Agua Global Services to rehabilitate and operate the state’s water supply infrastructure. Vanguard reported the deal on Monday. The partnership will address decades of underinvestment in water infrastructure that has left millions of Cross River residents without reliable clean water access.
Governor Bassey Otu said the deal is transformative for Cross River. He said access to clean water is a fundamental human right and a basic infrastructure requirement for economic development. He said the state has been unable to fund the required investment from its own resources and that the private sector partnership provides the answer.
Agua Global Services said it has experience in water infrastructure projects across West Africa. The company will rehabilitate existing water treatment plants, replace aged pipelines, and expand distribution networks to communities currently outside the coverage area. The project is expected to take 30 months to complete.
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Nigeria’s Water Crisis
Access to clean water remains a serious challenge across Nigeria. The WHO estimates that over 60 million Nigerians lack access to safely managed water services. Waterborne diseases including cholera, typhoid, and dysentery are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths annually.
The Borno cholera outbreak currently killing dozens and infecting thousands is a direct consequence of inadequate water infrastructure in conflict-affected communities. Cross River’s deal with Agua Global is the kind of private sector investment that needs to be replicated across dozens of other states.
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The deal was facilitated by the Cross River State Investment Promotion Agency. It includes a 20-year operational concession agreement that gives Agua Global the right to manage the water supply system and collect user fees under a regulated tariff framework approved by the state government.
