The Federal Ministry of Water Resources and National Water Resources has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Water Resources Institute to train local officers in the water sector.

The partnership has been signed under the auspices of the National Water Resources Capacity Building Network (NWRCBN).

NWRCBN, which is a conglomerate of six local universities from the six geo-political zones in the country, will work with the Kaduna-based institute to provide capacity building to the water sector officials in different geopolitical zone.

The universities are Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Anambra State), Federal University of Agriculture Abeakuta (Ogun State) , Ahmedu Bello University( Zaria State), University of Ilorin (Kwara State), University of Calabar (Cross River State) and University of Maiduguri in Borno State.

The Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Ochekpe, said that the partnership had increased academic performances of water sector students in the six universities.

"We need to strengthen the management of our water resources by using integrated approach. This is why I am glad that through the Water Resources Capacity Building Centers, academic programmes up to Masters Degree level on Integrated Water Resources Management in addition to their other capacity building course will be taken," Ochekpe said.

The Executive Director of the National Water Resources Institute, Olusanjo Bamgboye, said that it was during the National Council on Water Resources meeting in Port-Harcourt Rivers State, in July 2006 that a decision was taken to establish NWRCBN and to be coordinated by the institute.

He said the first MOU was signed between the two parties in August 2010 to cover period of three years and came to an end in August 2013.

"To sustain the programme and to achieve the set objectives, there is the need to sign another MOU," Bamgboye said.

Speaking on behalf of the six partnering Universities, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture Abeakuta, Prof. Felix Kolawole Salako, said that the institutions had the expertise to take care of the peculiarities of each ecological zone of t he country as regards water requirements.

He pleaded with the Ministry to be timely in their support to the Network especially in area of finance.