Bauchi_Acresal

22/10/2026

ACReSAL, Stakeholders Align on Science-Backed, Community-Led Restoration Plans for Gulbin-Ka and Malenda Catchments to Protect Over 10 Million Lives

JOS, NIGERIA — Stakeholders from across northern Nigeria have agreed on baseline data, ecological coverage, and targeted priority interventions for the Gulbin-Ka and Malenda Strategic Catchments under the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project.

The two strategic catchments, which collectively cover over 5.25 million hectares of land across Kebbi, Zamfara, Niger, and Sokoto states, support an estimated 10.1 million people whose agricultural livelihoods and water security face escalating threats from land degradation, severe erosion, and climate-induced flooding.

On Day 7 of the implementation-focused stakeholder engagement for 10 Strategic Catchment Management Plans, state delegates, environmental experts, and local community leaders validated key hydrological assessments, GIS mapping, and climate-risk data. This broad consensus establishes a unified roadmap that shifts northwestern Nigeria from reactive disaster management toward proactive, science-based ecosystem restoration.

Covering 2.95 million hectares across 24 local government areas in Kebbi, Zamfara, Niger, and Sokoto states, the Gulbin-Ka Catchment supports 6.5 million residents. However, recent spatial assessments reveal dramatic ecosystem transformations between 2017 and 2023, where agricultural expansion saw farmland grow by more than 378,000 hectares. This rapid expansion came at a steep ecological cost, as wetlands shrank by over 203,000 hectares while natural vegetation lost about 183,000 hectares. Consequently, 87.5 percent of the catchment area is now classified under high to very high flood risk.

With projected water demand in Gulbin-Ka rising steeply from 233 million cubic metres in 2025 to 438 million cubic metres by 2050, stakeholders endorsed an integrated package of interventions. Agreed priorities include comprehensive erosion and flood control, drought mitigation, gully reclamation, riverbank stabilization, afforestation, rangeland management, and addressing farmer-herder clashes and transboundary resource issues.

Similarly, the Malenda Catchment spans 2.3 million hectares across Niger, Kebbi, and Zamfara states. Anchored by the River Malenda and its tributaries, the basin supports a population projected to increase from 3.6 million in 2025 to 6.6 million by 2050. Land-use analysis demonstrates rapid ecological conversion in the basin, with farmland coverage expanding from 57.3 percent in 2017 to 74.6 percent in 2025, while wetland coverage decreased sharply from 22.6 percent to 13.2 percent over the same period.

Hydrological data indicates that despite rising water demand, which is expected to reach 303 million cubic metres by 2050, the Malenda catchment retains an estimated 8.8 billion cubic metres of available water resources. Stakeholders confirmed that capturing this potential requires addressing severe upstream soil erosion, downstream flooding during peak August–September discharges, and siltation. Agreed priority actions for Malenda encompass afforestation, climate-smart agricultural practices, early warning flood systems, shoreline protection, and multi-state governance frameworks.

The consensus reached on the Gulbin-Ka and Malenda catchments underscores the core philosophy of ACReSAL’s strategic management framework, which centers on tackling upstream land degradation to prevent downstream flood disasters and secure rural livelihoods. By grounding intervention choices in rigorous hydrological intelligence, climate modelling, and consensus-based stakeholder engagement, the ACReSAL project ensures that implementation efforts yield measurable, long-term resilience for communities, women, and youth across Nigeria.

ACReSAL..Greening the environment, saving lives

22/10/2026

Bauchi ACReSAL Project Coordinator Inspects Gully Erosion and Flood Control Project.

Bauchi State Project Coordinator of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project Dr Ibrahim Kabir has inspected the ongoing gully erosion and flood control project spanning from Tsohon Kamfani to Gwallagan Mayaki in the Bauchi metropolis.

The exercise is part of the routine activities of the State Project Management Unit (SPMU) to ensure strict adherence with the project's specifications and bill of quantity.

During the exercise, the State Project Coordinator expressed delight with the quality and speed of work at the site, where he interacted with some of the community members. The residents expressed their appreciation for the interventions, which will ultimately protect lives and property while improving their livelihoods.

ACReSAL... Greening the Environment, Saving Lives.

Communications Unit
Bauchi ACReSAL
22nd October 2026.

22/10/2026

Bauchi ACReSAL to Partner Harvest Plus on Nutrition and Enterprise Development Training.

Bauchi State Project Management Unit (SPMU) of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) is set to partner Harvest Plus Solutions Nigeria on nutrition and enterprise development training in Bauchi state.

This is part of the discussion between the State Project Coordinator Dr Ibrahim Kabir and the delegation of the Harvest Plus during a courtesy visit to the SPMU, where issues of utmost importance to the two organisations were discussed.

The Project Manager of HarvestPlus, Abdullahi Adamu Idris, said his organisation is set to train extension agents in twelve LGAs of Bauchi State, who will, in turn, train an additional seventy beneficiaries monthly over a period of six months. It is expected that by the end of the training, over five thousand people will be trained in nutrition and enterprise development.

This, according to the program manager is to compliment the government efforts in that regard and to bridge the knowledge gap in this part of the country and request for the SPMU's support, which is expected to train youths and women across the selected local government areas.

Responding, the State Project Coordinator, Dr. Ibrahim Kabir welcomed the delegation and said the initiative is timely and in line with ACReSAL's objectives. He pledged to work with the the HarvestPlus toward achieving their set objectives, assuring them of the SPMU's readiness to collaborate with development partners in the state.

ACReSAL... Greening the Environment, Saving Lives

Communications Unit
Bauchi ACReSAL
22nd October 2026.

21/10/2026

You Are No Longer Just a Gateway, You Are Operational" – ACReSAL TTL Tells Traditional Leaders as Rima Catchment Stakeholders Brainstorm Sustainable Solutions in Jos

Jos, Nigeria — Traditional leaders under the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project have elevated their roles from merely serving as symbolic gateways to communities to becoming active, operational drivers of catchment management plans.

This declaration was made by Dr. Iganya Joy Agene, FNMGS, Senior Environmental Specialist at the World Bank and ACReSAL Task Team Leader (TTL), during Day 6 of the ongoing Implementation-Focused Stakeholder Engagement Workshop for the 10 Strategic Catchment Management Plans (SCMPs) with focus on Rima Catchment in Jos, Plateau State.

Delivering extensive remarks covering plan validation, Additional Financing, local knowledge, and long-term sustainability, Dr. Agene emphasized that empowering local leaders to take ownership of implementation is the single most effective way to guarantee results on the ground.

"Typically, in traditional formations, we tell you that the community leader is just a gateway to reaching the people. But traditional leaders, today, you are not just a gateway—you are operational," Dr. Agene declared. "You have moved from being a gateway in the community to operationalizing these plans and activities, and that is the absolute best way."

Illustrating the quality and depth of Nigeria's catchment planning effort, the TTL recalled an international resource person brought in to guide the process. The expert, who had initially doubted Nigeria’s capacity to deliver structured catchment management planning, came expecting primarily to share model components from India—a nation where catchment management is deeply understood even by rural farmers on the street.

"He came to Nigeria not convinced that we could do this," Dr. Agene recounted. "I had done some baseline analysis and sent it to him to guide the discussions, but he wasn't convinced until he arrived and saw the reality on the ground. When he came, he saw the upper, the middle, and the lower catchments firsthand. He could see everything he knew from India replicated right here."

"I share this story to reassure you that what we are doing here will stand the test of time, meet global quality standards, and compete with best practices anywhere in the world."

While acknowledging the role of advanced technology, Dr. Agene expressed deep gratitude to local stakeholders and traditional custodians, stressing that high-tech satellite imagery must be grounded in community-level intelligence.

"Thank you to all our stakeholders," she expressed. "While we get massive amounts of technical information from satellite imagery above, you are the ones who truly know the land. That is why no management plan can ever be complete without you, without the stakeholders, and without the grassroots contributions you are making."

Charging state representatives to take ownership of the process, the TTL noted that while the central ACReSAL project team periodically visits floodplains and target communities, it is the state and local actors who possess intimate knowledge of village names, market dynamics, and local ecosystems.

To ensure complete accuracy, Dr. Agene officially announced a one-month window for rigorous, state-specific, and community-specific validation of the Rima Strategic Catchment Management Plan and other plans under review.

Building on the foundation laid by the TTL, Chuka Offodile, Managing Director of Mecon Engineering and Geology Services, presented an extensive technical overview of the Rima Catchment. He emphasized that the catchment is not merely a river basin, but a living economic system that sustains millions across northwestern Nigeria.

Stretching across approximately 10.2 million hectares (101,961 km²) and spanning 45 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kano, and Jigawa States, the catchment currently supports an estimated 14.5 million people—a figure projected to surge to 26.3 million by 2050. Without proactive measures, this rapid growth will exert severe pressure on agricultural land, water resources, critical infrastructure, and local ecosystems.

Offodile mapped out the catchment as a system of three interconnected landscapes, each facing distinct environmental challenges: Upper Catchment (Katsina and parts of Zamfara): Communities face steep slope erosion, land degradation, acute water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and urban flooding. Middle Catchment: Zones struggle with severe gully erosion, deforestation, dry-season water shortages, and recurring pest outbreaks that threaten agricultural yield. Lower Catchment (Floodplain communities): Farmers battle seasonal flooding, encroaching desertification, deteriorating irrigation infrastructure, biodiversity decline, and climate-induced insecurity.

To address these challenges, Offodile outlined a package of tailored, zone-specific ecological interventions:

• Upper Catchment Interventions: Reforestation, terracing, gully stabilization, rainwater harvesting systems, and upgraded urban drainage.

• Middle Catchment Interventions: Construction of check dams, contour bunding, community forestry initiatives, solar-powered boreholes, and integrated pest management.

• Lower Catchment Interventions: Flood-control dikes, riverbank restoration, irrigation modernization, drought-resilient crop production, and large-scale afforestation.

"These investments are not merely environmental projects—they are economic drivers aimed at protecting livelihoods, strengthening food security, and securing the future of a region where agriculture is the backbone," Offodile noted.

He concluded with a passionate appeal for interstate coordination, stressing that because the Rima River system transcends state boundaries, no single state can solve these issues in isolation. He called for joint management structures, harmonized policies, shared data platforms, coordinated flood and drought response mechanisms, and combined watershed restoration investments.

"The future of the Rima Catchment depends on our ability to act as one basin rather than separate jurisdictions," he told stakeholders. "If we coordinate our efforts today, we can secure water, food, livelihoods, and environmental resilience for more than 26 million people by 2050."

20/10/2026

Experts, Stakeholders Unveil Bold Plan to Save 3.88 Million Hectares in Sarkin-Pawa-Kaduna Catchment

JOS, NIGERIA — The future of Nigeria's landscape restoration took center stage in Jos as key stakeholders gathered to review priority interventions on Day 5 of the implementation-focused engagement for 10 Strategic Catchment Management Plan (SCMP).
The high-level meeting focused on the Sarkin-Pawa-Kaduna Catchment—a vast 3.88-million-hectare ecological corridor with 35 LGA and 318 wards spanning six states: Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Kano, Bauchi, and Plateau.

The catchment is currently bleeding from severe environmental degradation. At least 388,682 hectares—10% of the entire basin—across 293 political wards require urgent, large-scale intervention. The local government areas of Munya, Shiroro, Kauru, Kachia, and Chikun are the hardest hit, collectively accounting for 63% of all degraded land. Among the chief environmental threats, destructive flooding ravages 63.4% of the terrain, while soil erosion impacts 50.1%.

Despite the severe degradation, the region possesses immense hydrological potential. Presenting the Water Resources Assessment, Prof. Dibal of the University of Jos revealed that the basin receives an astonishing 58.7 billion cubic meters of rainwater annually, sitting mostly on a solid granite foundation that covers 60% to 65% of the landmass. Consequently, the core issue facing the basin is not water scarcity, but poor retention.

"The value of rain is not measured only by how much falls, but by how wisely the catchment returns, releases, and protects it," Prof. Dibal emphasized. To prevent vital water resources from washing away, he strongly advocated for the construction of infiltration bays and the ex*****on of a pilot groundwater recharge scheme in Kumadugu.

The workshop also delivered crucial operational directives by World Bank Environmental Specialist/Task Team Leader, ACReSAL, Dr. Iganya Joy Agene, FNMGS, who issued a strict zero-tolerance warning regarding child labor on World Bank projects. "No minors," Dr. Agene stated firmly. "When you are less than eighteen, you cannot work on any World Bank-financed project. It is strictly against policy, and non-compliance can lead to project closure."

Turning to youth and gender dynamics, Dr. Agene struck a critical demographic chord. Highlighting that energetic and intelligent young people make up 60% to 70% of Nigeria's population, she announced that the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Results Framework—under its Additional Financing—will now explicitly track youth beneficiaries, transforming them into environmental ambassadors.

Dr. Agene was equally decisive on female inclusion, asserting that the era of sidelining women is officially over. She revealed that ACReSAL maintains a 100% gender tag—a major corporate commitment that secures international donor financing. "ACReSAL has a hundred percent gender tag, and because of that, you receive specific support... we must ensure proper balance across all projects," she warned.

On translating plans into reality, Dr. Agene stressed that success extends far beyond simply drafting the SCMP. True impact relies on swift implementation, securing strong legal backing, and establishing accepted national guidelines for catchment management planning scale—a framework Nigeria currently lacks.

She characterized the SCMP as a collective team effort spanning from local community women to Governors, the President, federal and state lawmakers, and civil society. While the initial eight management plans—now expanded to 20 by ACReSAL—were consultant-driven alongside 200 micro-catchment plans, the ultimate vision is localization. The goal is to empower a District Head to convene his community for local planning, down to individual farmers planning sustainably with their families.

Citing successful models in Ethiopia, India, and China, Dr. Agene noted that executing these plans effectively will earn Nigeria global recognition well beyond the ACReSAL project scope.

Underscoring the high stakes, ACReSAL National Project Coordinator, Abdulhamid Umar, disclosed that the project's strong performance since 2021 has earned presidential approval for a major scale-up beyond the original $700 million allocation. He charged all stakeholders to take full ownership of the Strategic Catchment Management Plan. He noted that ACReSAL working with experts, academia, traditional institutions and local communities has a critical role to play in reversing degradation affecting over 43% of Nigeria landscape.

Umar closed his address with an emphatic call for long-term sustainability: "There is an urgent need to institutionalize everything we have accomplished to ensure these interventions outlast the project life cycle."

Providing a comprehensive diagnostic overview, Mr. Chuka Offodile, Managing Director of Mecon Geology and Engineering Services, detailed the multi-dimensional environmental and socio-economic challenges affecting the upper, middle, and lower zones of the catchment. These include severe gully erosion, flash flooding, deforestation, mining-related pollution, water scarcity, declining groundwater tables, poor sanitation, overgrazing, unsustainable fishing, and escalating conflicts over land and water resources.

To combat these threats, the proposed SCMP outlines a series of targeted physical and policy interventions: afforestation, hill terracing, check dams, stormwater drainage systems, riverbank stabilization, agroforestry, mining regulation and land rehabilitation, rainwater harvesting, urban drainage upgrades, climate-smart agriculture, irrigation expansion, grazing reserve management, waste facilities, sustainable fishing regulations, integrated watershed management, and community peace-building initiatives.

Additionally, technical insights were presented by Mr. Sam Oji from the National Center for Remote Sensing, who demonstrated the application of GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to precisely identify and prioritize optimal intervention sites across the catchment.

During the interactive breakout sessions, stakeholders collectively agreed that these multi-sectoral interventions will dramatically boost regional water security, mitigate flood and erosion risks, restore fragile ecosystems, enhance agricultural yields, strengthen climate resilience, improve public health, and promote sustainable livelihoods and unified governance across all six participating states.

20/10/2026

20/10/2026

Ongoing Stakeholders Engagement on Strategic Catchment Management Plans.
Bauchi ACReSAL team led by the State Project Coordinator Dr Ibrahim Kabir are participating.
Today, the engagement is focusing on Sarkin Pawa-Kaduna Catchment

20/10/2026

Greening the Environment and Saving Lives

19/10/2026

"Fix-and-Go Won’t Work" Dr. Agene Reaffirms:
Data-Driven Restoration Targets 11 Million People Across 2.65 Million Hectare Kaduna-Mariga Catchment

Jos — Sustainable environmental restoration requires evidence-based action, cross-state collaboration, and deep community ownership. This was the central message as stakeholders gathered for the ACReSAL Strategic Catchment Management Planning (SCMP) session for the Kaduna-Mariga catchment.

The Task Team Leader of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project and World Bank Senior Environment Specialist, Dr. Joy Iganya Agene, emphasized that the project was designed not merely to build infrastructure, but to ensure long-term community participation and sustainability.

“The project is not just about coming to fix and going with the contract,” Dr. Agene stated, underscoring that fixing degraded landscapes requires collective responsibility across state boundaries and local communities.

Her call to action comes ahead of the Lagos Mission for Work Plan development, where participating states will align their plans with technical findings to address land degradation, water scarcity, and resource-driven conflict affecting an estimated 11 million people living within Kaduna-Mariga Catchment.

Presenting the technical overview, Dr. Chika Ofodile, Managing Director of MECON Geology and Engineering Services Limited, and Mr. Sam Orji of the National Centre for Remote Sensing (NCRS), Jos, laid out a data-driven portrait of a high-energy system that is geologically divided and economically contested, covering 2,654,398 hectares across six states — Niger (60.1%), Kaduna (17.9%), Zamfara (11.7%), Katsina, Kebbi, and Kwara — the catchment encompasses 38 Local Government Areas and 111 Federal Wards.

The technical assessments highlighted how underlying geology shapes water availability, livelihoods, and security across the basin:

- The Upper & Middle Catchment (Mariga, Birnin Gwari, Kontagora): Underlain by crystalline Basement Complex rock (Older/Younger Granites and Metasediments), groundwater yield here is extremely low (under 2 litres per second). Shallow Lithosols (under 30cm depth) prevent water infiltration, causing immediate surface flooding during rains but leaving no groundwater reserve during dry spells.

- The Lower Catchment (Bida Basin — Lavun, Pategi): Formed of sedimentary rock, groundwater yields reach 4 to 8 litres per second, offering strong potential for year-round irrigation and ongoing exploration for inland hydrocarbon deposits.

- Mining and Security Hotspots: The upper basement complex contains rich deposits of gold, tin, and rare earth elements. Mining activity—driven by global demand—accelerates environmental degradation, while acute water scarcity intensifies competition between farmers and pastoralists.

The technical teams also stressed the principle of hydrological connectivity: low water volume in the water-stressed upper catchment concentrates pollutants, which are then rapidly flushed downstream during flood events, potentially driving endemic health issues in midstream and downstream communities.

The evaluation identified high-priority intervention zones covering approximately 12.03% of the total catchment area. These priority zones represent areas where three or more critical challenges overlap: flood risks, severe erosion, deforestation, agricultural productivity losses, and wetland degradation.

This spatial disaggregation will provide targeted decision-support tools for Ministers, State Governors, traditional rulers, MDAs, and local communities, helping prevent duplicate investments and ensuring efficient resource allocation.

For rapid action plan and strategic interventions to achieving sustainable catchment restoration, the technical presentations and executive guidance outlined key priority actions such as, Water security, Mining Governance as well as Landscape Buffers.

With planning now completed, Dr. Agene described the phase as 50% of the journey, noting that ACReSAL is transitioning to full community ex*****on.

Dr. Agene reminded delegates that while the World Bank provides strategic support, it will prioritize investments based on technical recommendations, authorizing environments, and field accessibility while charging state representatives and traditional leaders to debrief their local councils and benchmark their planning against established best practices.

Posing a direct question to all stakeholders, she asked, "To restore this land, what is it that Niger must do? What is it that Katsina must do? Kwara? Kebbi? Zamfara? Kaduna? And what must we all do together?".

ACReSAL… Greening the environment, saving lives

19/10/2026