By Fatima Saka
Nigeria has secured a World Bank credit to implement Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL).
The minister of state for environment, Barr. Sharon Ikeazor, who disclosed this in a keynote address at the 2022 World Wetlands Day in Jigawa State, said the ACReSAL project was intended to improve sustainable management of drylands in northern Nigeria.
She further said that the Federal Government has just secured a credit from the World Bank to implement Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) which is intended to help improve sustainable management of drylands at scale in the northern Nigeria.
“The project aims to restore critical ecosystems including the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands and will be implemented over a period of six years,” She said.
The minister recalled that the president recently approved the establishment of 10 additional national parks including the Hadejia Wetland Games Reserve which will now be known as Hadejia Wetlands National Park.
“This implies that the country’s protected areas have been expanded to conserve our biodiversity, enhance ecosystem resilience, mitigate climate impacts, and support socio-economic development of the people,” she said.
According the minister, the expansion would contribute to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals, Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework Goals, Nationally Determined Contributions, Global Goals for Forests, and others.
Ikeazor restated that Nigeria commits to international agreements, conventions and treaties in pursuance of the global agenda towards sustainable environment, climate solution and a healthy planet.
“We strongly support Agenda 30X30 of the Global Biodiversity Framework which seeks to designate 30% of the world’s oceans and lands for sustainable development by year 2030.
“Also the two Forestry Reserves in Bayelsa State have been designated as Nigeria’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) while the process of taking over and handing over by the federal government has commenced,” she added.
She noted the implementation of the MPAs serves as an opportunity to intensify efforts towards better and more effective management of the critical ecosystems.
