The World Bank, federal, and Kwara state governments have entered into a tripartite partnership to tackle challenges related to water resources, agriculture, and land reclamation due to ecological factors in some parts of Kwara state.
Speaking during a tour of the Eruda, Ojaiya/Ita-Amodu erosion control projects, as well as the Asa Dam water treatment plant in Ilorin, a team of experts from the World Bank, Agro-Climate Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscape (ACReSAL), and members of the state executive council said that the state stands to benefit from a $700 million loan for land reclamation.
The national project coordinator of ACReSAL, Mallam Abdulhameed Umar, said that the team is committed to the theme of the first intervention visit in the state: “Acceleration of ACReSAL projects’ implementation in Kwara state.”
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“ACReSAL is funded by the World Bank, wherein the federal government, through the Ministry of Finance, borrowed $700 million to address issues related to the environment, agriculture, and water. Nineteen northern states and Abuja are privileged to access these funds to tackle issues brought about by ecological effects, climate change, and land degradation.”
Umar also said that each northern state and Abuja will benefit from the fund after the payment of counterpart funds.
He also said that the project aims to address poverty among the poor in rural areas and communities, stating, “Degraded lands are supposed to be recovered to become fertile to service the mainstay of our people, which is agriculture.”
“The project is anchored on three pillars: dry land management, climate-smart agricultural practices, and strengthening policies and institutions for the project to outlive all of us.”
Speaking on the assessment of the Asa Dam waterworks, Umar lamented that water hyacinth had taken over the source of potable drinking water, adding that the equipment in the water treatment plant is not only dilapidated but also obsolete.
“For that reason, we’re in support of the state government’s proposition to invest in revitalizing the waterworks to provide potable drinking water to the people.”
He also lamented the activities of fishermen in the area, which he said had polluted the dam. “So, we must devise other means of livelihood for the people. This dam requires urgent rehabilitation.”
Also speaking, the state Environment Commissioner and the state steering committee chairman of ACReSAL, Sheu Ndanusa Usman, lamented that the majority of the land mass in the country is being eroded due to ecological problems, deforestation, and overgrazing.
He said that the state government is committed to ensuring that the partnership works for the benefit of the people of Kwara state.
The team also paid a courtesy call to the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Dr. Ibrahim Sulugambari.
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