The Federal Government of Nigeria, in partnership with the World Bank, officially opened the physical leg of its Joint Hybrid Additional Financing Pre-Appraisal Mission in Bauchi State on Monday. The evaluation mission aims to scale up interventions under the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, expanding environmental restoration, watershed management, and climate-resilient agricultural practices across northern Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory.
Read also:Clean Tech, Mini-Grids, Land Conservation: How Nigeria Plans to Cut Emissions 32%
World Bank Senior Environmental Specialist and Task Team Leader Dr Iganya Joy Agene, alongside ACReSAL National Project Coordinator Abdulhamid Umar, led the technical delegation into Bauchi to conduct physical field assessments. The mission follows virtual technical reviews on fiduciary safeguards and procurement systems, marking a transition toward evaluating Nigeria’s request for USD 300 million in additional financing to scale the initiative beyond its initial targets.
Bauchi State Pledges Counterpart Funds to Scale Land Restoration
Bauchi State Governor Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed—represented by Deputy Governor Auwal Jatau—pledged his administration’s support by committing prompt counterpart funding to facilitate project execution. The Governor emphasised that local political will remains aligned with federal climate mandates, citing plans to establish a dedicated state ACReSAL agency to sustain interventions beyond the main project cycle.
Read also:Â 14,000 Communities Were Warned. Is Nigeria Listening?
The proposed additional financing structure builds on ACReSAL’s foundational milestones, which have reclaimed over one million hectares of degraded land to date. State authorities noted that upcoming investments will directly support institutional strengthening for the Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) and the Bauchi State College of Agriculture, while extending direct community-level interventions.
Multi-Sectoral Strategy Links Ecological Recovery to Food Security
The expansion targets climate adaptation by linking ecological restoration directly with rural poverty alleviation and food security objectives. World Bank Task Team Leader Dr Iganya Joy Agene stated that ACReSAL interventions have already contributed to a 41 percent increase in farmer incomes, with the additional funding targeting an income growth benchmark exceeding 50 percent.
By scaling up physical land recovery and sustainable catchments, the joint initiative addresses climate vulnerabilities across northern Nigeria’s semi-arid zone. To access the readiness-driven financing window, participating states must demonstrate progress toward establishing institutional coordinating agencies and executing Strategic Catchment Management Plans ahead of project completion.