Gombe initiate plans for new agency to take over ACReSAL Project

In a significant move to ensure the longevity of multi-million-dollar climate resilience investments, the Gombe State Government has initiated the legal process to establish a permanent agency dedicated to landscape management.

The initiative falls under the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, a World Bank-assisted program designed to combat land degradation and improve farming in northern Nigeria.

Dr Sani Adamu Jauro, the State Project Coordinator for ACReSAL, confirmed that a draft bill has been finalized and submitted to the State Ministry of Environment. The draft seeks to create the Gombe State Integrated Landscape Management Agency, which would serve as a permanent coordinating body for agriculture, water resources, and environmental management.

The project coordinator Dr Sani Adamu Jauro has taken the draft bill to the Ministry, and the Honorable Commissioner has forwarded it to the Executive Governor. The Governor has, in turn, sent it to the Ministry of Justice for legal scrutiny.

The proposed agency is designed to outlive the current six-year lifespan of the ACReSAL project. By securing an independent budget line and a statutory mandate, the government aims to guarantee that interventions such as reforestation, erosion control, and water conservation efforts are sustained long after the current project cycle concludes.

Once the Ministry of Justice completes its legal review, the draft bill is expected to be transmitted to the State House of Assembly for legislative action. Stakeholders believe the establishment of this agency will serve as a model for institutionalizing donor-funded projects, ensuring that environmental resilience becomes a permanent fixture of state governance rather than a temporary intervention.

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