By Faridat Salifu
The World Bank and the Federal Government teams, during a recent meeting in Abuja, unanimously praised the ACReSAL project for its achievements in promoting agro-climatic resilience in semi-arid landscapes. This significant milestone showcases the positive impact of the initiative.
Mr. Taimur Samad, the World Bank Operations Manager, praised the Federal and State Governments for their unwavering commitment to the ACReSAL project.
He mentioned that ACReSAL is one of the Bank’s top five climate adaptation projects worldwide, with an impressive investment portfolio of $700 million. This recognition highlights the significant impact and transformative potential of ACReSAL.
Mr.Samad emphasized the importance of the States Project Management Units (SPMUs) in utilizing the substantial investment portfolio, which accounts for 70% of the project’s funds, for sustainable projects.
Mr. Abdulhamid Umar, the National Project Coordinator for ACReSAL, also congratulated the stakeholders on their achievements and urged all participating States to improve on team building and commitment to the work.
He emphasized that the project is performance-based and expects high standards across all aspects.
Dr. Joy I. Agene, the Task Team Leader (TTL) of the ACReSAL project, provided valuable insights during the project appraisal. She discussed the assessment of the 19 Northern States and the FCT, using a scorecard to evaluate their performance.
Dr. Agene emphasized the importance of recognizing the achievements of the best-performing states as motivation to do even better.
She also encouraged the least-performing States to analyze the concerns raised during the technical mission support and develop effective strategies to address them. It’s all about continuous improvement and striving for excellence.
It has been observed that the committed support and minimal interference from State Governments have greatly contributed to the impressive performances of the highly-rated States in the ACReSAL project.
This highlights the importance of a conducive environment for success. The ACReSAL project, scheduled to conclude in 2028, is dedicated to creating a climate-resilient community through ecological restoration practices and policies.
In terms of recognition, Katsina, Gombe, and Adamawa emerged as top recipients across various award categories, including implementation progress, disbursement progress, engineering and civil works, procurement competencies, land reclamation, financial management, and reporting.