On Friday, the World Bank distributed 11 Toyota Hilux vehicles to various ministries, departments, and agencies of the Federal Government.
These vehicles are intended for the monitoring of environmental degradation and restoration projects.
The allocation of these vehicles was made possible through the World Bank’s $700 million Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes project, known as ACReSAL. The Federal Government serves as the guarantor for this project.
Ibrahim Idris, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, personally handed over the keys and documentation for the vehicles to the beneficiary MDAs in Abuja.
He emphasized that this initiative is aimed at ensuring effective monitoring of the bank’s investments in environmental projects.
Idris explained, “We are dealing with issues like desertification and erosion caused by climate change, specifically focusing on desertification within 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Due to the vast land area involved, having these vehicles is crucial for on-site inspections and supervision of projects. By providing these 11 vehicles, our goal is to guarantee proper oversight and monitoring of these projects.”
The beneficiaries of these vehicles include various ministries and agencies such as water resources, remote sensing, agriculture, and various departments within the Ministry of Environment.
These vehicles are essential for all the stakeholder agencies involved in the ACReSAL project.
Abdulhamid Umar, the National Project Coordinator for ACReSAL, provided insights into the project’s scope and goals.
He mentioned that the project has a duration of six years with the objective of restoring approximately one million landscapes.
Umar elaborated, “ACReSAL, funded by the World Bank with a portfolio of $700 million, aims to address landscape restoration and degradation issues caused by desertification and deforestation resulting from climate change.
The project has been in progress for a year and has already made significant strides in restoring over 2,000 degraded landscapes with more than 1,900 beneficiaries.
Our expectation is to achieve more than 60 percent of our land restoration goals by the mid-year review.”
Regarding the role of the World Bank, Umar clarified, “The World Bank is the primary investor, providing a loan that will be repaid.
The Federal Government serves as the principal guarantor of the funds, which are accessible to 19 Northern states and the FCT.
The primary purpose of this funding is to address challenges arising from climate change and to recover one million landscapes by the project’s conclusion.”
He also noted that ACReSAL has a presence in over 12 states, with plans to expand further to ensure efficient project delivery.
The project is particularly focusing on states like Yobe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, and Sokoto, where the Sahara Desert is encroaching on landscapes. Additionally, landscape issues in states like Gombe and Plateau are also being actively addressed.
