Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state, has transformed the World Bank assisted project, Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), into a state owned agency for sustainability.
Ganduje made this known on Tuesday at the opening of a one-week implementation support mission for Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes(ACReSAL), in Kano.
The governor, represented by the Secretary to the state government, Usman Alhaji, said that the project had accorded Kano with standing recognition.
“The outstanding performance of the Project Management Unit of Kano-NEWMAP, led it to win the Best performing state in land reclamation via Afforestation.
“It also won the best performing state in transparency and integrity and this led to the Transformation of the NEWMAP at its closure, into Watershed, Erosion and Climate Change Management Agency (WECCMA).”
Ganduje however, announced that the current state Coordinator of ACReSAL project Mr Musa Shu’aibu has been appointed the pioneer Executive Secretary of the new Agency.
The Governor also, expressed willingness in meeting its obligations in terms 8f payments if compensations and related counterpart funding for the realization of the noble interventions.
Under the NEWMAP, Ganduje stressed that nine priority sites received intervention by the World Bank, comprising of five erosion sites and four water conservation structures.
One of the conservation sites he said, has reached 100 percent completion while the remaining three were due for engineering designs and expected to be completed under the ACReSAL project.
In his speech at the occasion, Dr Kabiru Getso, the state Commissioner for environment, expressed optimism that the Kano implementation mission would achieve desired result.
He expressed the commitment of the state in improving and protecting the Kano environment with priority and attention to the sector on issues of biodiversity conservation and restoration if degraded lands.
On the achievements of the administration in environment, Getso said it has set up the Kano state Afforestation Agency and established Integrated Industrial Waste Management Facility at Challawa.
He explained that the administration had ventured into the National Great Green Wall Project of the Federal government and provided fund for the establishment of community tree nurseries and plantations.
While speaking, the Team Lead for the world Bank, Dr Joy Iganya Agene commended the effort of the Kano state government for hosting the program.
Agene stressed that the over $700 million worth project is aimed at tackling the effects of climate change in Northern Nigerian states.
The implementation support mission for the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, aimed at assessing implementation progress of the project and deepen stakeholder policy engagement.
The 6 year project is a partnership between the World Bank, Federal Ministries of Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development and the Federal Ministry of Water resources.