Alarm over worsening desertification and environmental degradation across Northern Nigeria has prompted the Federal Government to move ahead with new strategic plans aimed at restoring damaged ecosystems and safeguarding the livelihoods of millions of rural residents.
The initiative, supported by the World Bank and implemented under the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project, focuses on the development and validation of nine Strategic Catchment Management Plans intended to tackle land degradation, water scarcity and declining agricultural productivity in vulnerable communities.
The plans are currently being reviewed at a multi-stakeholder workshop in Abuja, where government officials, development partners, environmental experts and community representatives are examining strategies to restore critical watersheds and strengthen climate resilience across the region.
Officials said the intervention has become urgent as environmental pressures continue to threaten food production, water supply and the stability of rural communities in the country’s northern belt.
Director of Hydrology at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Abohwo Ngozi, who represented the Minister, Joseph Terlumun Utsev, warned that desert encroachment, erratic rainfall and shrinking water bodies are already affecting livelihoods across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.
She noted that degraded farmlands and drying rivers have become daily realities for farmers and pastoralists who depend on the region’s fragile ecosystems for survival.
According to Ngozi, the catchment management plans will provide a comprehensive framework for coordinating environmental restoration efforts while improving water and land management practices.
She explained that the strategies would help identify priority intervention areas, mobilise resources and guide long-term investments aimed at reversing environmental decline.
National Coordinator of the ACReSAL Project, Abdulhamid Umar, represented by Shettima Adams, said the nine catchment plans were developed after extensive consultations with communities directly affected by environmental degradation.
He said the catchments include Malenda, Oshin-Oyi, Gurara-Gbako, Aloma-Konshisha, Benue-Mada, Sarkin-Pawa-Kaduna, Zungur-Gongola, Gaji-Lamurde and Hawul-Kilange.
Umar noted that the plans would guide practical interventions such as tree planting, soil conservation, climate-smart agriculture and improved water management aimed at restoring ecosystems and boosting rural livelihoods.
“These plans reflect the voices of communities that are already living with the realities of desertification, shrinking water sources and degraded farmlands. They offer practical solutions designed to rebuild the landscapes and support sustainable livelihoods,” he said.
The catchment areas span several states including Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara, as well as the Federal Capital Territory.
Beyond environmental restoration, experts say improved catchment management could also help reduce tensions linked to competition for land and water resources among farmers, herders and rural communities in parts of Northern Nigeria.
Representing the World Bank Task Team Leader, Joy Iganya Agene, Henrietta Alhassan said the validation process marks an important step toward strengthening sustainable water resource management and climate adaptation efforts in the region.
She stressed that protecting catchment ecosystems is critical not only for environmental sustainability but also for ensuring long-term economic development and the resilience of communities that rely on these natural resources.
Officials involved in the programme said the workshop will complete the validation of the final batch of catchment plans, bringing the total number developed under the ACReSAL project to 20 and paving the way for large-scale environmental restoration and climate resilience interventions across Northern Nigeria.
0 Comments