Effectiveness of Community-Led Total Sanitation Programmes in Reducing Open Defecation in Rural Communities of Kebbi State, North West Nigeria

Community-Led Total Sanitation is a behaviour change approach that mobilises communities to eliminate open defecation through collective action, shame, and disgust triggers, and has shown variable effectiveness across sub-Saharan Africa. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Community-Led Total Sanitation programmes in reducing open defecation prevalence in rural communities of Kebbi State, using a pre-test and post-test design with a comparison group. Twelve communities implementing CLTS under the UNICEF-supported Rural Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene programme are compared with twelve matched control communities not yet reached by the intervention, with surveys conducted at baseline and 12-month follow-up. A structured household questionnaire assesses toilet ownership, usage, open defecation practices, and handwashing behaviour, while GPS mapping documents sanitation facility distribution. Data are analysed in SPSS using paired t-tests, McNemar tests, and difference-in-differences analysis. The 2022 Nigeria Open Defecation Free Verification Protocol assessment indicates that states in North West Nigeria account for a disproportionate share of the remaining open defecation burden. The FOAM framework for sanitation behaviour change guides the study's theoretical analysis of facilitating, opportunity, ability, and motivation factors. Findings will provide Kebbi State's Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency with evidence on CLTS effectiveness and sustainability conditions in its specific cultural and environmental context. Keywords: Community-Led Total Sanitation, open defecation, rural sanitation, WASH behaviour change, Kebbi State.