Nigeria, World Bank To Restore Degraded Northern Landscapes With Nine Catchment Plans

By Abraham Olatunbosun—

The Nigerian Government, in partnership with the World Bank, has commenced the appraisal and validation of nine Strategic Catchment Management Plans (SCMPs) aimed at tackling desertification, land degradation, and water scarcity across Northern Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory.

The initiative is being implemented under the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes Project (ACReSAL), a climate resilience programme led by the Federal Ministry of Environment with support from the World Bank.

The validation workshop, held in Abuja, is bringing together federal and state agencies, technical experts, and community representatives to review the plans and ensure they are inclusive, practical, and capable of improving livelihoods while restoring degraded landscapes.

Speaking at the event, Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, warned that environmental degradation in Northern Nigeria has reached alarming levels, threatening food security and the stability of rural communities.

According to him, millions of people in the 19 northern states and the FCT are already facing harsh environmental realities such as advancing deserts, irregular rainfall patterns, shrinking water bodies, and declining farmland productivity.

“These are not abstract problems. They threaten the food on our tables, the income of our farmers and herders, and the stability of our communities,” the minister said.

Lawal explained that the ACReSAL project represents Nigeria’s strategic response to the growing environmental crisis, with the Federal Ministry of Environment working closely with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to restore degraded landscapes and promote sustainable management of natural resources.

He noted that the Strategic Catchment Management Plans form the backbone of the intervention, providing a coordinated roadmap for identifying priority environmental hotspots, mobilising resources, and aligning actions across multiple sectors.

Representing the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Terlumun Utsev, the Director of Hydrology, Abohwo Ngozi, said the workshop would review the final nine catchment management plans developed under the ACReSAL framework.

She stressed that the plans are essential for improving integrated water and land management while addressing the growing environmental challenges facing communities across Northern Nigeria.

Ngozi warned that desert encroachment, degraded farmlands and unpredictable rainfall patterns are already threatening agricultural productivity and the livelihoods of millions of farmers and pastoralists.

National Coordinator of ACReSAL, Abdulhamid Umar, represented by Shettima Adams, said the nine plans are designed to guide targeted interventions in semi-arid landscapes to ensure sustainable water and land management.

He listed the catchments covered by the plans as Malenda, Oshin-Oyi, Gurara-Gbako, Aloma-Konshisha, Benue-Mada, Sarkin-Pawa-Kaduna, Zungur-Gongola, Gaji-Lamurde, and Hawul-Kilange.

According to him, the catchment areas cut across 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 FCT.

Umar explained that the plans were developed through extensive consultations with local communities and stakeholders, ensuring that they capture real environmental challenges such as deforestation, soil erosion, shrinking water sources, and overgrazing.