World Bank has earmarked $375 million to improve the productivity and resilience of pastoral production systems of countries in the Sahel region, but Nigeria is missing out.

Nigeria is missing on a list of beneficiary countries that includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal.

The bank, in a statement, said its executive directors approved the fund on Wednesday to help the implementation of the second Regional Sahel Pastoralism Support Project.

The Sahel pastoralism support project was initiated to pursue investments to establish animal health systems and ensure pastoralists’ peaceful mobility along the local and cross-border mobility route.

“Building on the successes of its predecessor (PRAPS-1), PRAPS-2 will pursue investments to establish more robust animal health systems, increase access and governance of natural resources including new grazing areas and more water infrastructure, support pastoralists’ peaceful mobility along the local and cross-border mobility routes, and increase income. 

“It will also support national and regional institutions as well as stakeholders’ capacity to govern the sector,” the bank said.

The new project will support pastoralists and agro-pastoralists activities in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal.

About 13 million people, including the youth and women, will directly benefit from the project’s activities.

Speaking after the fund’s approval, World Bank country director for Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger, Soukeyna Kane, highlighted the need to include women and youths in development programs across the Sahel region.

She promised that the project would step up interventions towards vulnerable women and youth from pastoral households.

“PRAPS-2 will contribute to this goal by stepping up interventions towards vulnerable women and youth from pastoral households by increasing their access to training, including functional, digital, and financial literacy, as well as business skills. 

“It will finance income-generating activities to support their self-employment initiatives and will improve access to social and civil registries, a strong demand of pastoralists’ organizations in the Sahel region,” she said.