UNICEF, Ministry of Water Resources renew WASH partnership push

UNICEF renewed its commitment on Monday to strengthen cooperation with the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, focusing on water security, sanitation, climate resilience and sustainable WASH services nationwide.

During a courtesy visit to Water Resources and Sanitation Minister Sao-Kpato Hannah Isatta Macarthy, newly appointed UNICEF Country Representative Mariko Kagoshima praised progress in institutional WASH programmes, school and healthcare-facility services, expanded water access in coastal communities and climate-resilient initiatives.

Kagoshima said she was eager to begin working with the ministry and wanted to identify areas where cooperation could be strengthened further.

Macarthy, welcoming the UNICEF delegation, described UNICEF as one of the ministry's oldest and most valued development partners, citing decades of financial and technical support to Sierra Leone's WASH sector.

While commending UNICEF's continued investment in sanitation, she called for broader collaboration across the full WASH agenda, particularly in water resources management and water supply.

The minister said the ministry wanted renewed cooperation not only in sanitation but also in water services to ensure a more complete WASH response.

She added that the ministry's nationwide network of district engineers should play a greater role in project identification, monitoring and supervision, saying closer institutional coordination would help keep UNICEF-backed interventions firmly rooted in government systems.

Macarthy also praised UNICEF's support for the Open Defecation Free campaign, technical assistance, stronger laboratory capacity for water-quality testing and sanitation awareness programmes across the country.

Kagoshima welcomed the proposals and said UNICEF would continue working through government institutions while expanding cooperation in priority areas such as groundwater mapping, climate-resilient water resources management, behaviour-change communication, resource mobilisation and joint field monitoring.

Drawing on her experience in Ethiopia, she said regular joint supervision visits were important for strengthening accountability and improving programme delivery.

Kagoshima said she wanted the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to be the first ministry she would visit in the field with, as part of efforts to monitor ongoing WASH interventions and identify emerging needs.

Both sides also agreed to step up cooperation on WASH financing after discussions on the Public Finance for Children initiative highlighted the need for greater domestic investment in the sector.

At the close of the meeting, Kagoshima reaffirmed UNICEF's support for government leadership in the WASH sector, expanded technical cooperation and South-South learning, while Macarthy said the strengthened partnership would help speed up access to safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene services across Sierra Leone.