From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau
The Zamfara State World Bank-funded Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) in conjunction with the focal NGO, Health Standard Concern Organization (HESCO), extended commitments towards addressing erosions and climatic problems to stakeholders in the state.
Speaking during advocacy visit to the Emir of Anka and state Chairman Council of Chiefs, Attahiru Muhammad Ahmad, the Zamfara State Natural Resources Officer and representative of ACReSAL, Akilu Musa Mayana, said the project was targeted at total restoration of farm lands affected by natural disasters.
Mayana explained that, Zamfara happens to be in the list of twenty states been captured under the federal government’s policy to benefit from the world bank assisted project which is aimed at fighting abject poverty across the northern states of the nation.
“The ACReSAL project addresses environmental, social, and economic challenges in northern Nigeria, including environmental degradation, poor agricultural productivity, and desertification”, natural resources officer has informed.
According to Mayana, the project has been empowered to work closely with the state governments in the north to ensure the enactment of laws that would facilitate job creations for the unemployed citizens and policies against environmental challenges.
“The project aims to restore 1 million hectares of degraded land by 2028. This will help Nigeria meet its goal of restoring 4 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, and to increase the use of sustainable land management practices in targeted watersheds.
“The project also aimed to improve the livelihoods of people in the target areas, especially women and young people thereby reducing vulnerability of the extreme poor in northern Nigeria.
He added that, the project is currently operating in three piloting local government areas of the state which included Bungudu, Gusau and Kaura Namoda.
In his remarks, the Emir of Anka and Chairman Council of Chiefs of Zamfara State, HRH Attahiru Muhammad Ahmad, commended the project over the quest for restoration of degraded lands for sustainable farming activities, as well as intervention to make herders/farmers clash a history in the state.
