FG develops template to deliver mandate of ACReSAL project in catchments of benefiting states
The national project coordinator of Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi -Arid Landscapes( ACReSAL) , Abdulhamid Umar says the agency is developing a strategic management plans to facilitates its projects in catchments of the benefiting states in the northern Nigeria to achieve its target of restoring 1m hectares of degraded land. The ACReSAL Boss disclosed this in […]
The national project coordinator of Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi -Arid Landscapes( ACReSAL) , Abdulhamid Umar says the agency is developing a strategic management plans to facilitates its projects in catchments of the benefiting states in the northern Nigeria to achieve its target of restoring 1m hectares of degraded land.
The ACReSAL Boss disclosed this in Lokoja on Friday at the stakeholders’ Engagement workshop for the Development of Sarki-Powa-kaduna , Okwa -Mada, Gurara -Gbako, Lokoja -Niger, and Aloma – Ebonyi ,as part of the 20 strategic catchment management plans being developed for Nigeria.
According to the national coordinator of ACReSAL ,the workshop is for the benefiting catchment areas from ten states , including Kogi, Kano, Niger, Bauchi Nassarawa, Benue ,kaduna ,Katsina, Bauchi and FCT , Abuja .
Abdulhamid Umar who was represented by Engineer Shetima Adams explained that the development of the 20 strategic catchment management plans is the bedrock of the implementation of the ACReSAL project, creating the platform and structure into which the micro catchment management implemented by each of the state will integrate.
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He said the Lokoja strategic catchment plan is therefore expected to facilitate ACReSAL to meet its DPO and sustainably restore 1million hectares of degraded land, making it cultivable , habitable, ,and usable for commercial ,domestic and any other purpose; even as it seek to impact 3.4m direct beneficiaries where 1,68m(49.41petcent) will be women .
“Strategic catchment management plans will enable the integration of social and economic needs with natural ecosystems and the long -term use of natural resources. It will elaborately and comprehensively bring out the structures and mechanisms for environmental cooperation ,as well as the development of social commitment and cohesion.
“The ACReSAL project is not just about short -term fixes; but about long term transformation.. it is about restoring dignity to dry lands , rebalancing our ecosystems,and strengthening the resilience of millions of people across the northern Nigeria.
“The strategic catchment management plans are our blueprint , our road map for doing things differently and doing them right.
“I’m therefore confident that with the representation here , who are stakeholders and decision makers in various sectors of the environment, relevant issues regarding the environment of various catchments will be brought out ,analysed based on the global best practice , and then documented in the plan- document”, said Abdulhamid Umar
He stressed further that ” the objective of the stakeholders’workshop is therefore to derive a shared vision of the strategic stakeholders’ for an ideal riparian catchment that will build and forestall peace in the catchments, taken into consideration the opportunities and challenges in the catchments”.
Earlier, the kogi state Project Coordinator of ACReSAL, Barrister Ladi Jato said the gathering of Project Coordinators of 10 States with their stakeholders represents a significant milestone of a collective efforts to protect and preserve the water resources, and ecosystems that sustain our communities.
“Today underscores the shared commitment to restoring our landscapes, safeguarding our environment, and promoting sustainable land and water resource management.
She said the state has successfully reclaimed 11,064 Hectares of degraded areas; water harvesting Initiatives have restored 1540 hectares of land and increased water storage capacity by 800 cubic meters; and Agroforestry and tree-planting activities have so far restored over 3,000 hectares across the entire catchment.
“Our interventions were driven by extensive stakeholders’ engagement within the targeted micro watersheds, ensuring that every solution is tailored to both community needs and environmental priorities”, she said .
However, governor Ahmed Usman Ododo said the ACReSAL projects are more of transformation than intervention that are aimed at improving land use and water supply to the benefit of all.
The governor who was represented by commissioner for Environment, Engineer Joseph Ouwasegun warned against reckless use of land , in form of age long bush burning, falling of trees for charcoal, blocking of drainages , construction ,among others, claiming to be a very potent factors degrading the land .
The stakeholders engagement was witnessed by project coordinators, traditional rulers and others from the ACReSAL catchments in the 10 states in the northern Nigeria.
The federal government world bank funded project, Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi -Arid Landscapes( ACReSAL) , Abdulhamid Umar says the agency is developing a strategic management plans to facilitates its projects in catchments of ten states in the northern Nigeria to achieve its target of restoring 1m hectares of degraded land.