Kano State governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has expressed willingness in meeting its obligations in terms of payments of compensations and related counterpart funding for the realization and of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in semi- Arid Landscape (ACReSAL) Project in Kano State.
The Governor stated this during the flag-off of the project’s joint World Bank/FGN Hybrid Implementation Support Mission at Bristol Palace Hotel, Kano State. Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, the Governor added that they will put more efforts in ensuring that the ACReSAL project is also a success.
In his opening remarks, Engr, Anda Ayuba Yalaks, the Acting National Project Coordinator, ACReSAL, informed participants that the main mission objective is to assess Project overall implementation progress following the technical consultations on implementation readiness during the month of April and August 2022; and to also deepen policy engagement with relevant sectors.
He noted that the mission will also assess disbursement readiness in some of the States and deliberate on Fiduciary issues such as procurement, financial management, contract management as well as Environmental and Social (ESF) aspects, capacity building, workshops, amongst other critical issues.
In her remarks, Dr Joy Iganya Agene, Senior Environmental Specialist World Bank and Task Team Leader, ACReSAL, said that the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes, (ACReSAL) project will restore about one million hectares of degraded lands in Northern Nigeria.
Dr Agene said the project is established to increase the adoption of sustainable landscape management practices in targeted watersheds in Northern Nigeria With proposed financing of $700m and implementation period of six years.
She stressed that the over $700 million worth project is in partnership between the World Bank, Federal Ministries of Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development and the Federal Ministry of Water resources.
“Beyond the restoration of land as ACReSAL is expected to restore about one million as a mission by the President Muhammadu Bihari’s administration, we also wants to live behind institutions that will be able to do this on their own. So, we are happy to tell you that most of the states that are under ACReSAL are disbursement ready and we are good to go,” she said.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, the state Commissioner for Environment, Dr Kabiru Ibrahim Getso expressed optimism that the Kano implementation mission would achieve desired results.
He expressed the commitment of the state in improving and protecting the Kano environment with priority and attention to the sector on issues of biodiversity conservation and restoration of degraded lands.
