Nigerian homes get water after a decade-long wait

A Chinese company has made a name for itself with smart use of local resources

For 10 long years, Garba Abbas, along with hundreds of thousands of other people in Sokoto, northwestern Nigeria, struggled to live in a city short of water.

"The water system was not good enough to get water to our homes, and newer parts of the city were particularly hard hit," he says.

But two years ago, like someone joyfully lapping up heavy rain after a long drought, city dwellers were able to celebrate as the completion of a water delivery project heralded a new life free of worries about water.

"I and my friends have directly benefited from the Asare water project," Abbas says. "It ensures that we get all the water we need in this area." Previously, people had to go to the old city about 4 kilometers away to buy water, he says. Now, thanks to the Expansion of Sokoto Water Supply Scheme at Asare, water is only a tap away for him and others.

Thanks to the scheme, too, China Zhonghao (Nigeria) Ltd, the contractor that built it, has become a household name in the area.

Zhou Qiaofang, managing director of the company, says that while falling oil prices over the past 18 months have severely hit the Nigerian economy, on top of which the political transition after elections in May has left question marks over the country, the company is confident about continuing national infrastructure projects and its role in them.

"The projects we are working on in various states have obviously been affected by the slowing economy and the change in government, partly because we depend on being paid on time.

"But from what we can gather from local officials involved in the Asare project and its operation, there's a kind of transition period, and more effort will eventually be put into basic infrastructure projects such as power, water and roads."

Even though oil-dependent Nigeria is grappling with the reality of falling oil prices, it was still Africa's strongest economic performer last year, he says, and many of the country's regions are in extreme need of basic infrastructure.

This means that once things settle down economically and politically, priority will need to be given to building infrastructure in these regions, and in that Chinese companies can play a significant role, he says.

China Zhonghao arrived in Nigeria 13 years ago, and in that time has worked on more than 70 projects in the country with a total bid value of $500 million.

The company first worked on water plants and later expanded to irrigation systems and road construction, Zhou says.

Suo Guoming, project manager of the Asare project, says urbanization is an inexorable trend in Nigeria, so the need for infrastructure will become ever more acute.

"Just look at Sokoto. As its population kept on growing, the water supply system that had been built just 20 years ago couldn't keep up with demand, especially in the newer southwestern part of the city, so the local government decided a new water plant was needed."

The project was designed to carry 90 million liters of water to the city each day, delivered from three reservoirs that sit on the top of a mountain adjacent to the city.

The plant is located in Asare village, about 10 kilometers from Sokoto.

The project cost 2.6 billion naira ($13 million) and was completed after 12 months' work in late 2013

Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, the governor of Sokoko state, says the project was a bold and innovative project that has laid the foundations for other water supply systems in the city.

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo said the project represented the first time Nigeria has fully used its underground water resources, providing precious lessons to other states on how to make the most of water for increasing city populations.

As a result of Zhonghao's successful completion of the water project that serves newer parts of Sokoto, it has won the contract to build a water supply system that services older parts of the city.

That has opened the door for Chinese companies to be involved in managing local companies that use Chinese-made equipment, Zhou says.

"In Nigeria people are always criticizing what they see as the poor quality of Chinese-made goods. But the equipment and machinery we use here is top quality. Sometimes you find that the problems people have are the result of misuse. We send in people free of charge to help them run the plant and equipment properly."

All the equipment and machinery used in the Asare water project came from China, Zhou says.

"If we pump the water from a river or use other ground surface water directly, it needs to go through a settling pond and sterilization pool before going through other procedures. But we found this area has a thick sand layer underground, so we used it as a natural filter to get clear water, which greatly reduced costs for the owner."

China's Ambassador to Nigeria, Gu Xiaojie, visited the plant this month and said it was a good example of localizing technology.

Zhonghao says it is considering bidding on more projects that include design, construction and management, and that gives the company greater incentive to better localize its operations in the country.

lilianxing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/25/2015 page8)