By Faridat Salifu
The Federal Government and the World Bank on Tuesday brought together representatives from 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the second phase ACReSAL Marketplace event in Abuja, a platform designed to showcase success stories from the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project.
The event, attended by senior government officials, World Bank representatives, project coordinators, women groups, and community beneficiaries, highlighted the impact of ACReSAL interventions on land restoration, food security, water access, and climate adaptation across the country.
Dr. Joy Iganya Agene, Senior Environmental Specialist and Task Team Leader for ACReSAL at the World Bank, underscored the scale of achievements recorded in just three years of the six-year project.
“The half-moon technology whereby water is conserved in dry land to ensure that we are able to produce, sell, and make income is changing lives. In Niger State, women farmers under the group ‘100 Women in Farming’ have moved from subsistence to exporting crops out of the country. Across the states, we already have over 800,000 hectares restored, and more than 10 million direct beneficiaries, far surpassing our initial six-year target of 3.4 million.”
On her part, the Practice Manager Environment, World Bank, Mrs Ellysar Baroudy expressed satisfaction with the project saying the project had really been an example within the whole World Bank portfolio. She said however the World bank was faced with challenges of climate change, degradation, as well as finance. Baroudy urged ACReSAL to be resolute in spite of the challenges being faced at the point of discharging their work.
The National Project Coordinator ACReSAL, Mr Abdulhamid Umar said that the project is a people-oriented project that would sustain livelihoods.He added that the project has touched so many lives especially the down trodden in communities.
Dr. Abdulmumin Aminu-Zaria, Executive Director of the Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC), said:
“The Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission has had the privilege of receiving support from the ACReSAL project, which has impacted two key areas. First, the development of 20 Strategic Catchment Management Plans for the five Northern Hydrological Areas, providing frameworks for sustainable water management. Second, the establishment of a dedicated Hydrological Modelling Centre, enhancing our ability to simulate scenarios for resource allocation, flood management, and drought mitigation. These initiatives have strengthened our capacity to implement Integrated Water Resources Management practices. The partnership with ACReSAL has improved water governance, fostered stakeholder collaboration, and promoted sustainable development. We remain committed to ensuring these interventions deliver lasting benefits for the environment and the people of Nigeria.”
Director Water Support Services, Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Dr Segun Babarinde said that the marketplace has showcased a collaborative effort within the stakeholders.
He said: “I want to thank all the states for being very, resolute in ensuring the achievement of this glorious idea by the government.”
Dr. Ibrahim Kabir, Bauchi State Project Coordinator and Chairman of the 20-State Peace Forum for ACReSAL, highlighted state-specific achievements:
“Bauchi had restored 82,000 hectares of degraded land, tackled farmer-herder conflicts through 100 new water schemes, and engaged over 1,000 community groups. We brought to Abuja women milk producers we supported with modern processing equipment. Today, they are recording higher profits and connecting with new buyers. We also introduced bag farming start-ups, provided eco-friendly cookstoves, and trained 100 geo-rangers to protect the Yankari Game Reserve. These are the kinds of transformations ACReSAL has enabled.”
Beneficiaries from various states testified to improvements in their livelihoods. A women’s group representative explained how ACReSAL provided fencing, boreholes, and security for their cassava processing site, turning a once-vulnerable open space into a thriving economic hub. Another community representative from Gombe State described how rainwater harvesting systems supplied 450 households with 1.8 million litres of water, while alternative livelihoods such as fish farming and poultry reduced pressure on degraded land.
In total, ACReSAL interventions have reclaimed 5,900 hectares of land from gully erosion, saving properties worth over ₦45 billion, while also promoting waste collection points and bioremediation to strengthen ecosystems.
The Marketplace event featured state-by-state exhibition stalls where project coordinators and community interest groups showcased products and innovations, ranging from processed dairy and cassava to eco-cookstoves, agroforestry techniques, and biodiversity protection initiatives. All 19 participating states including Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara as well as the FCT, presented their achievements, emphasizing how ACReSAL is reducing conflict, generating income, and empowering women and youth.
The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to scaling up the project, stressing that ACReSAL remains a cornerstone of its climate change response and rural development strategy.
Director International Economic Relations Department, Ministry of Finance, Mr George Stanley said that there is no doubt that the project has delivered on various aspects of environment, agriculture, water resources and even beyond.
He said: “In special terms, the project has improved the resilience and livelihood of the communities through wide range interventions carefully implemented by institutional partners.”
Etsu Kwali, a prominent traditional ruler with the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, His Royal Luka Ayodee Nizassan III, said that the intervention of market place project is already yielding excellent results.
He noted that: “The project has come to terminate hunger in our community the intervention has impacted us for good I want to say the World Bank has invested rightly.”
