FG partners FAO to develop national irrigation policy

Dr. Louise Setshwaelo, FAO country representative in Nigeria, said in Abuja at a sensitisation workshop on development of the final draft of the national irrigation policy and strategy that the policy was long overdue.Setshwaelo said that FAO gave a grant of US$317,000, (over N51.5 billion) while the federal government provided a counterpart fund of N50.2 […]

Dr. Louise Setshwaelo, FAO country representative in Nigeria, said in Abuja at a sensitisation workshop on development of the final draft of the national irrigation policy and strategy that the policy was long overdue.
Setshwaelo said that FAO gave a grant of US$317,000, (over N51.5 billion) while the federal government provided a counterpart fund of N50.2 million to finalize the 2006 draft of the National Irrigation and Drainage Policy and Strategy (NIPD).
“The absence of an officially approved irrigation policy and strategy together with relevant laws to underpin the policy is one of the challenges limiting progress in irrigation development and expansion in the country,” she said.
She added that the need to have a policy and an accompanying implementation strategy to facilitate and promote private sector investments is vital considering the emphasis on food security.
She noted that the irrigation policy and strategy will provide the essential framework to guide sustainable irrigation development in Nigeria, create an enabling environment and stimulate private sector investment, strengthen the national and sub-national capacities to support planning and management of irrigation and facilitate transfer of irrigation technologies.
The Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Reng Ochekpe, said the federal government accorded irrigation priority status in the socio-economic development of the country.
Ochekpe, however, said despite the investment in the development of irrigation schemes, several challenges have continued to militate against sustainable development of irrigation in Nigeria.
According to her, the low performance of public irrigation schemes was as a result of inappropriate legal framework, inconsistent and unstable policies, poor planning and execution of projects, funding constraints, limited stakeholder participations as well as inadequate attention to operation and maintenance of irrigation systems.