Niger: FG constitutes committee to implement ACReSAL’s strategic catchment mgt plans
The Federal Government of Nigeria has inaugurated an implementation committee to drive the strategic catchment management plans across the 19 participating northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project. These plans, funded by the World Bank and validated in Minna, are designed to guide targeted investments in water, land, and environmental restoration.
Speaking during the event, held in Niger State, ACReSAL National Project Coordinator, Abdulhamid Umar, stated that the newly developed 20 strategic catchment management plans will now serve as roadmaps to guide both public and private sector investments toward viable locations that can sustainably support agro-climatic and land-use interventions.
Umar further emphasized that the project, supported by both federal and state governments, aims to attract further development partner participation, including the African Development Bank and European entities. These efforts are expected to boost resilience in fragile semi-arid landscapes, enhance agro-based livelihoods, and reduce environmental degradation in the region.
In line with this, the Niger State ACReSAL coordinator, Raji Shehu Adam, announced that engineers handling the Mokwa Environmental Reclamation project have been given two weeks to produce a reverse-engineered implementation document. The move was part of the broader Hybrid Implementation Support Mission hosted in Minna, which involved M&E, GIS, and communications officers from all 20 states.
Raji also noted the capacity-building objectives of the Hybrid Support Mission, which included training state actors on scientific hectare calculation and accurate project reporting. The event also featured validation of two catchment plans, attended by representatives from international partners, the World Bank Task Team, and Nigeria’s environment and climate officials.
The Task Team Leader, Dr. Joy Iganya Agane, underscored the need for sustainability post-World Bank contract expiration. Niger State’s Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Alhaji Yakubu Muhammad Kolo, affirmed the Bago administration’s commitment to scaling up ACReSAL’s impact as a key water and environmental conservation partner.
Source- Tribune Oniline
Expert Review for Agri-Food Stakeholders
The ACReSAL catchment plans signal a significant shift in how Nigeria’s semi-arid regions approach land restoration, water resource management, and climate resilience. Below are four key insights to guide agri-food stakeholders on the strategic implications of this initiative.
- Catchment Planning as a Market Enabler
The structured mapping of viable zones within the 20 catchments provides agribusinesses with data-backed guidance on where to site irrigation, reclamation, or sustainable agriculture projects. This minimizes investment risk and optimizes resource deployment. - Climate Resilience as an Investment Strategy
By aligning state-level development efforts with World Bank climate adaptation frameworks, ACReSAL opens opportunities for blended finance, carbon credit projects, and climate-smart agri-tech integration, especially in flood-prone and degraded zones. - Enhanced Role of Data and Geospatial Technology
Training on scientific hectare calculations and geospatial tracking empowers state teams to improve reporting accuracy. Agribusinesses can leverage this capacity to drive precision farming, monitor land-use changes, and design scalable solutions. - Public-Private Collaboration Models
With clearer investment footprints and multi-stakeholder coordination (states, FG, World Bank, AfDB), the model invites stronger private sector engagement in land restoration, water harvesting, and nature-based farming practices.
As ACReSAL transitions from planning to implementation, its strategic catchment framework presents a timely blueprint for transforming Nigeria’s arid regions into hubs of resilient, inclusive, and environmentally sound agribusiness activities.
