By Francis Sardauna
KATSINA – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has officially inaugurated the Climate Resilient Infrastructure for Basic Services (CRIBS II) project in Katsina State, aimed at fortifying 24 primary healthcare facilities and schools against the escalating impacts of climate change.
Supported by funding from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the intervention is currently being rolled out across four local government areas: Charanchi, Mai’adua, Mani, and Dutsi.
Strengthening Essential Services
During the project's state-level inception meeting in Katsina on Tuesday, UNICEF Kano Field Office WASH Specialist, Uba Lawal, outlined the initiative's primary objectives:
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The project is designed to retrofit critical infrastructure to ensure that educational and healthcare services remain operational during climate-induced emergencies, such as floods, heat stress, drought, or windstorms.
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The intervention specifically focuses on upgrading water and sanitation facilities to better withstand climate hazards and protect the welfare of children.
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To ensure accountability, renovation plans will be publicly displayed at every participating facility, and contractors will coordinate directly with government officials.
Expanding the Scope of Climate Adaptation
This project marks an expansion of a successful model previously implemented in Kano and Jigawa States, where 84 facilities—55 in Kano and 29 in Jigawa—received upgrades during the first phase. While development efforts remain ongoing in Jigawa, the inclusion of Katsina reflects UNICEF’s broader strategy to scale up climate resilience across northern Nigeria.
Mr. Lawal emphasized that the current implementation phase in Katsina is concentrated specifically within the four aforementioned local government areas. He further urged both the government and local communities to adopt innovative, proactive measures to build long-term resilience against the realities of climate change.
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