Borno WAS Activity | 72062024RFA00004

Opportunity Information: Apply for 72062024RFA00004

The Borno WAS Activity is a USAID-Abuja funding opportunity designed to expand and improve Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services in Borno State, with the central aim of making those services safer, more sustainable over time, climate resilient, and inclusive for all users. The activity is framed around tackling both access gaps and the persistent sustainability problems that often cause WASH systems to break down after construction, such as weak operation and maintenance practices, limited local capacity, and insufficient long-term financing or management structures. The overall intent is not only to deliver improved infrastructure and services, but also to ensure those improvements last and can be maintained locally.

A defining feature of the opportunity is its emphasis on an integrated, participatory approach that brings key stakeholders into the design and execution of the work. USAID highlights co-creation as a core principle, meaning the implementing partner is expected to jointly plan, implement, and oversee solutions with the Borno State government and the communities and institutions being served. This model is meant to support locally driven development, encourage shared decision-making, and produce interventions that reflect local priorities, constraints, and realities. In practice, applicants should anticipate strong expectations around stakeholder engagement, coordination with government systems, community participation, and iterative design that responds to what works on the ground.

Geographically, implementation is expected to focus mainly on Maiduguri Local Government Area in Borno State. While the notice centers on this primary location, the activity is broadly described as serving communities, schools, and healthcare centers, indicating a multi-setting approach rather than a single type of beneficiary institution. The work is therefore likely to cut across household or community-level water supply needs as well as institutional WASH in education and health facilities, where reliable water and safe sanitation are directly tied to learning conditions, infection prevention, and quality of care.

The activity has a clear goal and three main objectives. First, it aims to increase access to equitable, safe, climate resilient, and affordable drinking water services in selected communities. The wording signals that proposals should consider not just technical delivery of water, but also equity in who benefits, affordability for users, and resilience to climate-related stresses such as variability in water availability, flooding, or extreme heat that can affect infrastructure reliability. Second, it seeks to strengthen WASH services in schools and healthcare centers, explicitly calling for approaches that are climate resilient and sustainable, while also being gender responsive and accessible to people with disabilities. This points to expectations around inclusive facility design (for example, accessible latrines and handwashing stations), attention to privacy and safety needs (often particularly relevant for girls and women), and long-term usability and upkeep in institutional settings. Third, the activity prioritizes institutional strengthening and capacity building, along with adoption of appropriate service delivery models that support sustainability, especially after project completion. This objective puts strong weight on post-construction operation and maintenance, clearer roles and responsibilities, and engagement of the private sector where feasible to support service delivery, repairs, supply chains, or management functions.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this opportunity is issued as a discretionary award under a Cooperative Agreement, which typically implies a higher level of involvement and collaboration with USAID during implementation compared to more hands-off grant structures. The funding opportunity number is 72062024RFA00004, listed under CFDA 98.001, and it was created on 2024-07-11 with an original closing date of 2024-08-09. USAID expects to make one award, with an award ceiling of $2,500,000, suggesting a single implementer will lead the effort at the planned scale and scope.

Eligibility is restricted to local Nigerian organizations. To qualify, an applicant must be legally organized under Nigerian law, have its principal place of business or operations in Nigeria, be majority owned by Nigerian citizens or lawful permanent residents, and be governed by a body whose majority are Nigerian citizens or lawful permanent residents. This limitation indicates a deliberate focus on supporting Nigerian-led implementation and strengthening local ownership and capacity, consistent with the opportunitys emphasis on co-creation, sustainability, and locally driven development outcomes.

• The Nigeria USAID-Abuja in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Borno WAS Activity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-09. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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