The acronym “ACReSAL” stands for Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes.

It is a World Bank-assisted Project aimed at addressing the challenges of land degradation and climate Change in Northern Nigeria on a multi-dimensional scale.

To address environmental challenges arising from Climate Change and poor land-use practices in Northern Nigeria.

To have strong practices and policies on ecological restoration and a climate change resilient community.

Our (PDO) is to increase the implementation of sustainable landscape management practices in targeted watersheds in northern Nigeria and strengthen Nigeria’s long-term enabling environment for integrated climate-resilient landscape management.

ACReSAL Project will help restore 1 million hectares of degraded land in the northern part of the country. This   will contribute to the Federal Government of Nigeria’s objective/commitment of restoring four million hectares of degraded land set for broader landscapes restoration by 2030. The Project will also help reduce the vulnerability of millions of the extreme poor people in northern Nigeria, strengthening their own role in line with achieving environmental sustainability.

The components of the Project are as follows:

Component A. Dryland Management

Component B. Community Climate Resilience

Component C. Institutional Strengthening and Project Management

Component D. Contingent Emergency Response.

The Project is being implemented in the 19 Northern States of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Federal Ministry of Environment is the lead implementing ministry for the project, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD).

The Federal Steering Committee (FSC) and Federal Technical Committee (FTC) provide overall policy and technical guidance respectively. The FSC is chaired by the Minister of Environment, co-chaired by the Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development and Water Resources, while the FTC is chaired by the Permanent Secretary of Environment with representations of Directors from Agric, Water Resources and other relevant MDAs

The Federal Project Management Unit (FPMU) is responsible for the overall supervisory activities of the Project and is headed by the National Project Coordinator with support from MDAs.

A State Steering Committee (SSC) and State Technical Committee (STC) also provide overall policy and technical guidance respectively. The SSC is chaired by State Commissioners for Environment, co-chaired by the commissioners of Agriculture and Water Resources, and includes Permanent Secretaries of Finance, Works, Women Affairs and other sector representatives. The STC is chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Environment and includes relevant Directors of Agriculture, Water and other sector representatives.

A State Project Management Unit (SPMU) is responsible for the overall supervisory activities of the Project at the State level. The SPMU is headed by the State Project Coordinator

At the community level, a Local Government Project Management Committee (LGPMC) chaired by the Director Personnel Management (DPM), supports inclusive participation and promotes local ownership of project activities

The role of partners is critical to promote multisectoral coordination and cooperation for building climate resilience and better management of drylands natural resources across northern Nigeria. Federal and State agencies responsible for environment, agriculture, and water management will be the lead implementing agencies, through the state project management units who are responsible for day-to-day intervention works with technical support from the World Bank and Federal Project Management Unit. The community actors/stakeholders are also critical in terms of ownership and sustainability of activities/interventions.

ACReSAL interventions will improve land use planning, restore degraded land, increase food productivity and help a wide range of communities adapt to evolving dryland conditions with an end target of 3.4 million direct project beneficiaries. ACReSAL will specifically target the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized groups, including women, youth, the elderly, persons with disabilities, internally displaced people, and ethnic and religious minorities. Importantly, farmers and host communities across the 19 participating states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will benefit immensely from the project. This will help ensure their full participation in community-level structures established or supported under the project. Government institutions at federal and state levels and other partners from governmental and nongovernmental agencies will be beneficiaries of the institutional modernization and policy support investments.

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