1.68m Women To Benefit From ACRSAL Project In 10 States

The national coordinating unit of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi Arid Landscapes (ACRSAL) Project has said that it is seeking to impact 3.4 million direct beneficiaries, out of which 1.68 million beneficiaries will be women in its project implementation.

The national project coordinator of ACRSAL, Abdulhamid Umar, stated this at the stakeholders’ engagement for ACReSAL’s 11 strategic catchment areas, held in Lokoja on Friday.

He noted that strategic catchment management plans would enable the integration of social and economic needs with natural ecosystems and the long-term use of natural resources.

“It is imperative to highlight that the strategic catchment management plan will facilitate ACReSAL to meet its PDO and sustainably restore 1 million hectares of degraded land, making them cultivatable, habitable, and usable for any other purpose, be it commercial, domestic or otherwise.

“Let us therefore treat them as the strategic tools that they are.We cannot build what we have not planned. It is said, if we fail to plan, we plan to fail. Let us use these documents to plan well, Invest wisely and deliver boldly.

“I must mention that this is the first time the Nigerian Government is developing a catchment management plan of this magnitude, and this assistance is being received with the guidance of the World Bank through the International Development Association (IDA).”

According to him, the engagement would therefore focus on interacting with strategic stakeholders in the Sarkin-Powa-Kaduna, Okwa-Mada, Gurara-Gbako, Lokoja-Niger, and Aloma-Ebonyi Strategic catchments covering 10 ACReSAL States which includes, Kogi, the host, Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Plateau, Benue, Bauchi, Kano, Nasarawa and the FCT.

“Moreso, catchment management plans not only provide answers to what, when, and where of catchment management, they also very importantly provide scientifically guided decisions regarding early strategies for preparing and averting potential environmental challenges (early warning).

“I will not end this remark without appreciating the lender, the World Bank, for its guidance in implementing the use of the fund. I want to also thank the Federal Government of Nigeria, through Mr President, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Federal Ministry of Finance for conceptualising the ACReSAL Project and the funding process,” he added.

In her welcome address, Barr Ladi Jato, Kogi State project coordinator of ACReSAL Project, said the gathering represents a significant milestone in their collective efforts to protect and preserve the water resources and ecosystems that sustain the communities.

“We are therefore pleased with the selection of Lokoja, our state capital, to host this strategic stakeholders’ engagement of the remaining 11 strategic catchments of which Kogi State falls within the strategic catchments-Sarkin Powa-Kaduna, Okwa-Mada, Lokoja-Niger, and Aloma-Ebonyi. She noted