Emmanuel Awari-Jalingo
Governor Agbu Kefas has commissioned the newly built office complex of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes, ACReSAL in Jalingo, the state capital.
The Governor while commissioning the complex, expressed the commitment of his administration towards the protection of the environment for economic growth and development of the state.
“The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes ACReSAL is a world bank assisted projects designed to restore degraded lands caused by soil erosion, flooding and other environmental challenges occasioned by climatic change.
“ACReSAL is very essential and aligns with the five finger agenda of this administration.
According to him, the programme will among other things improve the livelihood of rural communities.
In her speech, the Taraba State of Commissioner, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Hon Aishat Abdul-azeez Barde said ACReSAL has constructed 11 solar powered boreholes in some local government areas of the state.
She noted that in order to complement the efforts of the Governor of Taraba state in greening Taraba projects and curbing illegal failing of trees, ACReSAL has extended campaigns against deforestation to local government areas of the state.
In his remarks, the Project Coordinator of ACReSAL in Taraba State, Mr Samaila Joshua said the state stands a chance of benefiting a lot from the project and appealed to the state government to complete the balance payment of the counterpart funds to ensure continuity and sustainability of the project.
“ACReSAL Project is an initiation of the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Water Resources as implementing Ministries – he said.
“The Project is implemented in the Nineteen states and the FCT, and design to restore degraded lands as a result of climate change impacts in Northern Nigeria as well as reduce vulnerability of extremely poor people in Northern Nigeria.
“The overall objective of the Project is to increase the implementation of sustainable landscape management practices in targeted watershed in the implementating states and strengtheng Nigeria’s long term enabling environment for integrated climate resilient landscape management – he added.