By Usman Shuaibu
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) through its Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, has constituted and commissioned Local Government Implementation Committees for the World Bank-supported Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project in the Territory.
Inaugurating the committees for each of the six Areas Councils of the FCT, in Abuja on Friday, the Mandate Secretary of the Secretariat, Mr. Lawan Geidam, explained that 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 added that the committee would be made up of the Chairmen of the Area Councils as chairmen, with the Head of Departments of Works, Agriculture and Environment as members.
Other members include facilitators who are subject specialists and relevant non-governmental organisations.
According to him, the committee will be responsible for overall supervision of the project at the local government level.
“The committee will also act as liaison to the State Project Management Unit (SPMU) 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 stated.
He explained that the ACReSAL Project was a community-based initiative funded by the World Bank in collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministries of Agriculture, Environment, and Water Resources.
Geidam said that the project was specifically designed to tackle the challenge of landscape degradation and promote effective watershed management.
This, according to him, would build community resilience to climate change and bolster agricultural production for enhanced livelihood in the 19 northern states of Nigeria and the FCT.
Geidam said that FCT became actively involved in the project in 2022, under the guidance of the Federal Project Management Unit (FPMU).
He opimed that FCT had met all the necessary prerequisites to access the World ACReSAL Project funds.
He said:“We anticipate that the remaining five-year duration of this project will bring about significant enhancements, not only in our environment but also in the livelihoods of our communities.
“I urge you all, especially the Chairmen of the six Area Councils, to see this project as a golden opportunity to enrich the lives of your people.”
On her part, 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.
