The African Development Bank has provided $50 million in grant to Bauchi state for instrastructure development, officials say.
Bauchi state water resources commissioner Muhammad Abdulhami told journalists in the capital that the amount is part of a $250 million fund set aside by the bank for developmental projects in the north east.
He said that the money would be used in areas of education, water supply, local government, health and other key sectors.
Abdulhamid said the state government has approved the start of water projects in the 12 local government areas that are not beneficiaries of UNICEF’s intervention.
The commissioner said that the state government has paid its counterpart fund of N140 million to UNICEF for the execution of various projects in the state.
He disclosed that UNICEF has added two more local government areas among the beneficiaries of its programmes which makes the number of the benefiting areas to 10 in Bauchi State.
He further disclosed that as parts of efforts by the state government to improve the supply of water in the state, N12 million was expended on the repairs of water facilities in Bauchi, Azare and Misau.
He added that 980 hand pumps have been repaired across the state while 840 new ones were sunk at various locations and communities.
On the third urban world bank scheme, the commissioner said that Bauchi was among the states to benefit from a $72 million grant for the expansion of water pipes to new settlements in the urban areas of the state.
He promised every consumer of water in the state will be metered for easy billing by the State Water Board.