Northern Stakeholders Support ACReSAL’s $500m Additional Financing

In Abuja, the proposed $500 million extra funding for the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project has garnered approval from a variety of stakeholders in northern Nigeria, according to the Think Nigeria First Initiative (TNFI). During an event in Abuja, TNFI's Director General, Alhaji Abubakar Tsanni, explained that governors, traditional leaders, farmers, herders, and women's organizations have backed the upcoming stage of the project thanks to its positive impacts in their regions.

Tsanni specifically mentioned the governors of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Kebbi, Kaduna, Jigawa, Benue, and Plateau States as key supporters who have personally opened, examined, or launched ACReSAL initiatives. He also noted that Bauchi State has promised its matching contribution to the upcoming phase. "Traditional institutions, like the palaces of the Shehu of Borno, Emir of Argungu, and Emir of Zazzau, collaborate closely with the project.

In Wurno, a farmer who has been working on an irrigation scheme for 27 years claims that optimism has returned. In Nguru, both herders and fishermen have returned to a wetland that had been dry for 12 years," Tsanni elaborated. He added that 47% of the project's 4.4 million direct beneficiaries are women, while university students in Kogi, Kebbi, and Plateau States are being taught modern greenhouse farming techniques at their institutions.

Tsanni clarified that stakeholders are not requesting donations, but rather sustainable financing anchored on ongoing support, shared responsibility, and self-sufficiency. He revealed that the states involved have already provided N22 billion in matching funds, while the $9.5 million Community Revolving Fund disbursed to 381 communities is being repaid and re-lent.

He also mentioned that Benue and Nasarawa States have created state agencies to guarantee the long-term viability of the project's assets. TNFI's Director General called on northern Nigerian governors, traditional leaders, legislators, and community heads who have witnessed ACReSAL's effects to "declare this publicly and now". He also urged the Federal Government and the World Bank to finalize the financing deal without further hesitation.