The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, says the work plan for the implementation of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project will cost $472. 8 million.

Mr Abdullahi disclosed this on the sidelines of the ACReSAL technical committee workshop in Lagos. According to him, the national steering committee, comprising the ministries of environment, agriculture and water resources have considered the report of the technical committee on the project.

“Today, we considered the report of the technical committee, which is essentially the work plan and action plan that will now govern implementation across the 19 states and the FCT. In the spirit of transparency, and in terms of World Bank protocol, we are going to tell you clearly the total cost of the work plan, which is about $472,870,000,” said the minister.

“This is a six-year programme and we are going to start implementation as soon as we have the go ahead from the World Bank,” Mr Abdullahi stressed. “It is possible that we stay within this threshold or it will go lower; that depends on the input from the World Bank.”

According to the World Bank, ACReSAL is designed is to increase the implementation of sustainable landscape management practices in targeted watersheds in the North and strengthen the country’s long-term enabling environment for integrated climate-resilient landscape management.

The minister urged the states to build institutional synergy among the ministries involved in the project for its overall sustainability.

He added that the essence of the project was for efficient land management, environmental sustainability and improvement on the wetlands and appealed to stakeholders to ensure its success.

(NAN)