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Land restoration: stakeholders renew commitment to well-being of rural communities

On Tuesday in Abuja, stakeholders renewed their commitment to addressing land degradation in 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Mr Mahmud Kambari, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, stated this during a training session on Land Restoration Techniques.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training is a collaboration by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, and Agro-Climate Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscaped (ACReSAL) project financed by the World Bank.

Kambari described the ACReSAL project as a critical initiative for environmental conservation and sustainability.

He stated that land restoration is the responsibility of every stakeholder to sustain the ecosystem, foster biodiversity and mitigate climate change for the well-being of communities.

Also Dr Ibrahim Goni, Conservator-General of the National Park Service said the park would continue to clamour for the effective protection of the seven parks to mitigate challenges from climate change.

“We are beneficiaries of ACReSAL projects in the area of solar power installation which has made our jobs easier,” Goni said.

He appealed for more engagements from ACReSAL projects to enhance the country’s biodiversity.

Dr Moctar Sacande, FAO’s Land Technical Officer for the Project, stated that the training is necessary to ensure the project’s successful implementation.

Sacande praised ACReSAL for implementing the project and the World Bank for financially facilitating it, noting that the training was organized for all 19 northern states.

Mr Abdulhamid Umar, ACReSAL’s National Project Coordinator, stated that landscape restoration necessitates serious effort and capacity building.

“Internationally, FAO is known as a United Nations agency that has delivered on several issues addressing the challenges caused by landscape degradation.

“So, the purpose of this lecture is to train trainers, and the capacity building and techniques that are being used today are to provide capacity and skill sets to selected colleagues from states and communities.

“This is to ensure that they transfer this skill set from Abuja to the community level,” Umar explained.

Mr Andrews Seglah, a World Bank representative, stated that the ACReSAL project is a significant step towards achieving sustainable landscape restoration and a clean environment.

Seglah assured participants of the World Bank’s continued support and urged them to communicate regionally to their citizens, particularly at the grassroots, about environmental sustainability. (NAN)

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