World Bank Project Has Lifted 41 percent Of Bauchi Farmers Out Of Poverty in 3,yrs
By Sule Aliyu Bauchi
The task team lead of the Agro Chemical Resilience in Semi Arid Landscapes Project (AcreSAL), Joy Iganya Agene, said that the project in Bauchi state has immensely contributed to the reduction of poverty through an increase in income for farmers by about 41%, stressing that the percentage can go beyond 50% and even more.
She described Bauchi as one of the best AcreSAL state, which understands donor funding and the required support, begged the state government to improve under the new funding window, and stressed the need for additional financing at mid-term, following a review in Lagos in May/June, which reflected a strong performance by participating states.
The National Project Coordinator of the AcreSAL, Mr. Abdulhameed Umar who commended Bauchi state government for its performance commended on the AcreSAL project, described the project which was launched in May, 2023, as performing, a rating that triggered the move for additional funding across 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Coordinator Abdulhameed Umar explained that Bauchi happened to be one of our best-performing states as far as ACReSAL is concerned, hence they didn’t find it difficult to come to Bauchi because, as he puts it, “ACReSAL is actually being implemented and delivering results here,”
The coordinator added, “Our intent for the establishment of Bauchi State ACreSal Agency remains and is already making progress. When concluded, the agency will contribute significantly to ensuring the sustainability of these laudable projects after the expiration of Akresel project”.
He assured that the agency will provide them with a comprehensive framework that could integrate agriculture, environment, and water resources into a single resilience-building agenda, and appreciated the development partners, technical teams, community leaders and stakeholders who have contributed to the success of Acresal project in Bauchi state.
Declaring the four-day sensitization opened in Bauchi, Governor Bala Abdulkadir Muhammad said that Bauchi has impactfully implemented the Agro Chemical Resilience in Semi Arid Landscapes (Acresal) Project in the state with integrated water schemes across 100 catchment routes in 20 local government areas of the state.
These, he said, were in addition to the 100 handpumps established in the hard-to-reach communities, the massive agro-processing and livelihood support initiatives among the youth and women, the community revolving funds.
Other achievements, the governor enumerated, included the CFF, restoration of over 39,000 hectares of degraded land, and numerous institutional strengthening interventions in spatial ecosystem of Yankari Game Reserve, among others.
Senator Bala described these proofs as giant stride of prioritization and thoughtful consideration of peculiarities in project selection and implementation as a state”, he said at the opening ceremony of the AcreSAL, Hybrid Additional Financing (AF) Pre-appraisal mission, held at Sir Ahmadu Bello International Conference Centre, Bauchi.
“It gives me immense pleasure watching our people from rural communities giving testimony about the impact of AKRESIL projects into their well-being. This gives us confidence and courage towards doing more. The last AKRESIL project open day and stakeholders engagement that took place in this hall a few months ago was a clear testimony of our collective resolve to restore our lands and build climate resilience among our communities”.
Represented by his deputy, Rt. Hon. Auwal Muhammad Jatau the Governor explained that 60 units of tractor cooperating at the local government areas, 100 all-terrain motorcycles for agricultural extension agents, 43 officers and a set of plot strong erosion control heavy machinery that were distributed to the land restoration line institutions are testimonies of the state renewed commitment.
Senator Bala Muhammad added, “We deliberately targeted to strengthen our institutions to effectively deliver their mandates, enhance agricultural productivity and climate smart agricultural practices through extension services. It is not just about the mechanization, neither is it about machinery and mobility”.
“Beyond ACresal life span of six years, we are also focused on establishing an epicenter for integrated landscape management that will support all our efforts in land restoration, building community climate resilience and ensuring that our environment and natural resources are judiciously utilized and safeguarded for this generations and the generations to come”, he said.
It will be recalled that ACreSal project started in Bauchi state where the World Bank team, the Federal Government representative and the 19 northern states and FCT gathered on the 23rd of May 2023, for official launch of the project. Thus Bauchi State was the first state to launch AKRESIL projects.
“These records, coupled to our unwavering commitment to the implementation of Akresel project across the nooks and crannies of Bauchi State must have informed the rationale of selecting Bauchi for this important gathering of hybrid additional financing pre-appraisal mission”, the governor concluded.
In a related development Sen Bala Abdulkadir Muhammad, while commissioned the complete rehabilitated and upgraded Green House and a Laboratory for Water, Soil and Plant undertaken by the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) at the College of Agriculture, Bauchi charged the management of the College to be prudent and accountable in the running of the upgraded Green Houses
The Governor stressed that the project was done through a loan which must be paid back at the end of the agreed date, saying it is only a prudent financial system that will ensure the repayment.
Bala Muhammad, who personally purchased 5kg of green peppers and other fruits and paid in cash, directed the College management to furnish his office with the project account statement.
The Governor said, “I came back personally to show Bauchi State’s respect and appreciation to the World Bank and to the ACReSAL, because these are the kind of things that brings us out.”
Bala Muhammad said, “We participated in this, and it is a kind of pleasant contest between sub-nationals. And we are doing it not with venom. We are doing it with knowledge, with achievement. And I must thank the ACReSAL team for having confidence in us. Our vocal Project Coordinator has shown knowledge and capacity, and that is the kind of leadership recruitment and the kind of manpower that we are trying to leave behind.”
“I must at this point acknowledge that this place was first built by former Governor, Dr. Ahmad Adamu Muazu during his tenure, since 1999, and it was left rot. It was indeed, for your information, His Excellency, the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, that came and commissioned it, but it all died over the years,” he added.
The Governor added that,”Now, during this period, we humbly say it is during our tenure that this is coming back through the World Bank, which makes it very, very auspicious.”
He further said, “But the missing link is what Dr. Joy Agene has said: the sustainability, the revenue generation and how it can be warehoused to ensure duplication of these facilities across the various senatorial zones, and so that it will become a center of research. And of course, to teach our young ones how to live on self-reliance, how they can do this and even exit from the excruciating problem of going for government white-collar jobs.”
Muhammad commended the ACReSAL Task Team Leader, Dr Joy Iganya Agene, saying, “We thank you, Your Excellency Agene, for this. You have shown partnership to us. Please convey our appreciation to the World Bank, and by extension to the Federal Government for this kind of gesture and participation that they have allowed us to do. Definitely what we said is what we are going to do.”
According to him,”The Commissioners of Environment, Agriculture and Water Resources have heard you, and you have listened to our very vibrant vocal Project Coordinator, I believe I will need a structure to give me a whole rundown of how this thing could be sustained even where we leave. That is why we want you to really look at our regime so that we can have sustainability. We should have continuity. We should continue to do this.”
The Governor concluded,”Out of respect, I will call on TTL, Dr Joy Iganya Agene, who is to act as the World Bank to commission this very good facility, which is one of the biggest. And I also thank our other colleagues from the other states that came here.”
In her remarks, the ACReSAL TTL, Dr Joy Iganya Agene, commended the Governor and his administration for keying in to the ACReSAL project which has taken millions of people at the communities out of poverty.
Joy Iganya Agene, expressed optimism that the Green House will generate additional source of revenue for the College as well as provide employment opportunities for teeming unemployed youths in the State.
Earlier, the Project Coordinator, Dr Ibrahim Kabiru said that already, youths from neighbouring States have been coming to the centre for research and other activities.
He explained that the Green House is in stages of Duplex, Jumbo and Titanic based on their sizes and products to be harvested.
In his vote of thanks, the Provost of the College, Dr Ahmad Isah, thanked the Governor for approving the proposals for the revival of the Green House which had been abandoned before it was razed by fire.
He assured that it will be well and professionally managed this time around in order to sustain and make it a revenue yielding venture for the institution and the state government.
The Governor was also led to Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic (ATAP) where he inspected erosion control project embarked upon by ACReSAL
