By abdullahi Lukman
The Think Nigeria First Initiative (TNFI) has supported the proposed $500 million additional financing for the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, saying the funds are needed to complete ongoing interventions and sustain its achievements in Northern Nigeria.
TNFI Director-General, Alhaji Abubakar Tsanni, made the position known yesterday in Abuja during a briefing organised with the Northern Stakeholders Coalition for Sustainable Development.
ACReSAL, which covers the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, was approved in December 2021 with an initial financing of $700 million. The proposed additional funding would bring the project’s total financing to $1.2 billion, subject to approval by the World Bank Board on October 29.
Tsanni said the project was already 91.8 per cent disbursed and had restored 818,546 hectares of degraded land, representing 81 per cent of its target, while directly benefiting about 4.4 million people.
He said 965 solar-powered boreholes had been constructed, while $9.5 million had been disbursed through the Community Revolving Fund to 381 communities and 29,489 individuals. He added that 328 tractors had also been distributed, generating N140 million in revenue.
According to Tsanni, the additional financing would be provided through the International Development Association (IDA) on concessional terms and would be subject to conditions including improved coordination among state agencies, the sustainability of completed projects and cooperation on shared catchments.
He said N22 billion had been released as counterpart funding, while repayments from the Community Revolving Fund were being recycled to support other beneficiaries.
Highlighting the project’s impact, Tsanni cited a 21-kilometre gully erosion control project in Gombe, which he said was 98 per cent complete and had protected more than 200,000 households and assets valued at about N45 billion.
He also said the restoration of the Nguru wetland in Yobe, which had remained dry for 12 years, had revived livelihoods for 80,853 farmers, herders and fishermen. In Sokoto, he said rehabilitation of the Wurno Irrigation Scheme was ongoing and was expected to serve more than 100,000 farmers.
Tsanni argued that continued investment in ACReSAL was important to food production and rural incomes, noting that disruptions to agricultural production in the North could affect food prices across the country.
He urged the National Assembly to support the proposed financing while maintaining oversight of its implementation. He also called on ACReSAL management to publish project results on a state-by-state and site-by-site basis.
The TNFI director-general further urged state governments to release counterpart funds promptly and establish agencies to maintain projects after completion.
He warned that halting the programme at its current stage could leave ongoing projects unfinished and undermine gains already made.
I kept the report factual, used an inverted-pyramid structure, shortened the headline, and substantially changed the wording while retaining the key facts and figures.
