By Najib Sani, Gombe
The Federal Government of Nigeria in collaboration with Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL), a world bank assisted project have convened a stakeholders' engagement to develop Strategic Catchment Management Plans for the Gongola, Gaki-Lamurde, and Hawal-Kilunga basins, comprising northern states of Gombe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe, Borno and Plateau.
National Coordinator of ACReSAL, Abdulhamid Umar, during the opening ceremony of the programme held at Custodian Hotel, Gombe, Gombe State on Tuesday emphasised the importance of the gathering in making plans that could guide international donors and investors in the communities good for human existence under watersheds.
According to him, the states are endowed with rich resources, including water, fertile land, vegetation, and a thriving agriculture sector, all of which are essential for maintaining a healthy ecosystem and supporting human survival.
Umar stressed that water and fertile land are crucial for human survival, and that ACReSAL has intervened in erosion control to help restore degraded landscapes and create healthier environments.
"The stakeholders' engagement aimed to identify problems in the communities and develop plans to guide investors on areas to invest in, ensuring that investments support the existence of watersheds and promote sustainable development", he noted.
Umar attributed poverty, climate change, and Boko Haram crises to the exodus of people from fertile lands, emphasising the need for governments to intensify security measures to enable people to utilise their land productively.
Also speaking, the Gombe State Project Coordinator of ACReSAL, Sani Jauro, said the state has emerged as a resource centre for the project, with project coordinators from 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) visiting to understudy their successes.
He said one notable achievement of ACReSAL in Gombe is the stabilisation of 21 kilometers of gully erosion in FCET Gombe, provision of community revolving funds to support local communities and offering alternative livelihoods to communities engaged in environmentally harmful activities that can cause desertification and erosion.
"For instance, charcoal sellers and sand miners were provided with fish ponds and poultry houses to help them transition to more sustainable businesses", he said.
While the state commissioner for water, environment and forest resources, Mohammed Saidu Fawu, reiterated the importance of collective action in ensuring the integrity of water resources and promoting sustainable landscape management.
He noted that the engagement was a testament to the Federal Government's commitment to promoting sustainable landscape management through the ACRESAL project.
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