Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has expressed concerns over the Lagos State Government’s plan to concession parts of its water supply system to private investors under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
In a statement yesterday, CAPPA said the initiative could affect residents’ access to safe and affordable water, adding that broader consultations with citizens should take place before such policies are implemented.
The Lagos Office of Public-Private Partnerships had earlier disclosed that the initiative would commence with a pilot ‘first concession’ covering about 10 percent of the state’s water assets, while members of the State House of Assembly pledged to support enabling legal amendments.
CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, noted that a Request for Proposals (RFP No. LSWC/BFOT/001/2025) had already been issued for the rehabilitation, upgrade, and operation of mini and micro waterworks under a Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (BFOT) model.
According to him, ‘public engagement should precede, not follow, major policy and investment commitments’.
The group also referenced previous agreements, including an April 2025 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Belstar Capital and ENKA, as well as the 2024 launch of the Lagos Water Partnership (LWP), urging greater transparency in disclosing the scope, financing, and safeguards of such projects.
While the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) has maintained that PPPs are not privatisation, CAPPA expressed the view that such arrangements could influence tariffs and operational control.
The organisation also called for lessons from international experiences, noting that some cities have shifted back to publicly managed water systems after trialling private concessions.
As an alternative, CAPPA suggested that Lagos consider strengthening public-public partnerships, rebuilding in-house technical capacity, and ensuring that access to water remains prioritised.
It also urged the government to engage widely with stakeholders before proceeding further with the scheme.
