Governance Framework for the Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Evaluating Cross-Sectoral Policy Alignment in Rural Semi-Arid Regions of Katsina State, Northern Nigeria

The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus approach recognises that water, energy, and food systems are interdependent and that sectoral policymaking, pursued in isolation, generates trade-offs that undermine sustainability in resource-constrained settings. This study develops and empirically applies a governance framework for evaluating cross-sectoral policy alignment in the semi-arid northern belt of Katsina State, Nigeria. Anchored on Hoff’s WEF nexus model, Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, and polycentric governance theory, the study employed a concurrent mixed-methods design across nine rural communities drawn from nine northern local government areas bordering the Republic of Niger. Structured questionnaires (n = 354) and twenty-seven key informant interviews were analysed using descriptive statistics (SPSS) and thematic analysis (NVivo). Findings show a generally weak Cross-Sectoral Policy Alignment Index (composite mean = 0.40 of a possible 1.00), with Energy-Food alignment weakest (0.324) and Water-Food alignment comparatively stronger (0.513). Qualitative data reveal that informal, community-level coordination mechanisms function reasonably well but are not formally linked to Local Government or State-level planning, producing a governance gap between grassroots polycentricity and centralised sectoral administration. The study proposes a four-tier nexus governance framework and recommends the institutionalisation of joint water-energy-food desks at the Local Government level and a State-level inter-ministerial coordination unit. The framework offers a replicable tool for evaluating and strengthening nexus governance in comparable Sahelian settings.

Keywords: Water-Energy-Food Nexus, Polycentric Governance, Institutional Analysis and Development, Cross-Sectoral Policy Alignment, Katsina State, Semi-Arid Nigeria.