By Bisola Adeyemo
The Kano State Government has approved N500 million counterpart fund for the implementation of a-six-year World Bank assisted project, “Agro Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL).”
The Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting.
Garba said the project focused at increasing the adoption of climate resilience landscape management practices and enhance livelihood in targeted arid and semi-arid watersheds in northern Nigeria.
According to him, the project will consolidate the achievements recorded under the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) in the state.
The commissioner said the council also approved MoU between Kano Government and Medina Academy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the physical teacher training of 5,000 teachers in Madina.
“The state government will be responsible for providing return air tickets, visas, training allowances to the first batch of 50 teachers that will attend the intensive training in Madina before Ramadan,” he said.
Garba said that the council approved the release of N94.9 million to facilitate the settlement of rent stores and garage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 2020 and 2021.
He said the council also approved contract for the completion of dualisation of five kilometre road in Tofa local government area.
Other approval was for the release of fund for training of healthcare personnel and refund on stamp duty and educational support fund.
He added that the council approved internet service renewal and annual maintenance of ICT equipment and deployment of Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) software at Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital.
The rest were engagement of consultant for the supervision of the proposed Kano State Fibre Optics Network Project and procurement of firefighting operational vehicles.
“Maintenance of 12 selected metropolitan roads, contract for management and maintenance of street lightening, fountain and landscape area of Dangi interchange and purchase of one unit 350KVA MIKANO generator.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in 2021, the World Bank has approved a 700million doallar credit from the International Development Association for the ACReSAL project.
The project will increase the implementation of sustainable landscape management practices in northern Nigeria and strengthen the country’s long-term enabling environment for integrated climate-resilient landscape management. (NAN)