The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) through the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat has inaugurated local government implementation committees for the World Bank-supported Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project.
The mandate secretary of the secretariat, Mr. Lawan Geidam, who inaugurated the committees for the six areas councils of the FCT yesterday, said the goal of the committees was to foster a sense of ownership and encourage community participation in aspects of the project being implemented at community and household levels.
Geidam said the committee would be made up of the chairmen of area councils as chairmen, with the heads of departments of works, agriculture and environment as members, while other members include facilitators, who are subject specialists and relevant non-governmental organisations.
According to him, the committee will be responsible for the overall supervision of the project at the local government level.
“The committee will also act as liaison to the State Project Management Unit and Secretariat, Departments, and Agencies and provide support to stakeholder analysis and identification for implementation activities.
“Facilitate the implementation of the watershed management strategies and report to the SPMU on the Area Council’s progress towards meeting intervention targets. They will also supervise maintenance of intervention works,” he said.
Earlier, the project coordinator, FCT ACReSAL, Mrs. Caroline Opara, said that inaugurating the committee was crucial considering the community approach to the implementation of the programme.
Opara said that the committee, inaugurated for each of the Area Councils, would ensure inclusiveness and effective implementation of the project and sustainability of the intervention made in any community.
