ABSTRACT: The study assessed the willingness to pay (WTP) for improved water supply among rural households in Benue State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 120 rural households for the study. Contingent valuation method was used to elicit households’ willingness to pay for improved water supply. Descriptive statistics and logit regression model were employed for data analysis. Results revealed that majority (78.3%) of the households were male headed with a mean age of 37 years and mean household size of 9 persons. The major source of water for the rural households was hand dug well. Majority (82.5%) of the respondents were willing to pay ₦21.68 for 25 litres of improved water, with age, household size, education, monthly income, distance to current water sources, existing water quality and the bid value having significant influence on households’ WTP for improved water supply in the study area. Therefore, educational and enlightenment campaigns on the importance of improved water supply may enhance WTP in the study area.
Keywords: Contingent valuation; Improved water supply; Willingness to pay; Rural households