The Federal Government and World Bank will inject over $400 million to rehabilitate five irrigation projects in Northern Nigeria over the next seven years, an official said on Monday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project is christened, “Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria Project.”
Lawal Maidoki, Project Manager, Bakolori Irrigation Scheme, made the disclosure in Sokoto at the opening of a three-day meeting of the project’s fifth Implementation Support Mission of the World Bank.
He said that under the project, the Federal Government would provide five percent of the funding, which would be used to resettle farmers affected by the project.
Maidoki, who is also the Secretary, Change Management Committee of the project, said the rehabilitation would cover Bakolori Irrigation Scheme in Zamfara, Middle Rima Valley Irrigation Scheme in Sokoto, and Kano River Irrigation Scheme.
The rest are Hadeijia Valley Irrigation Scheme in Jigawa, and Dadin Kowa Irrigation Scheme in Gombe State.
Maidoki said further: “TRIMING is a project of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources under the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, supported by the World Bank for improvement of Irrigation System Management in Nigeria.
“The Project Development Objectives include the improvement of access to irrigation and drainage services.
“It also aimed at strengthening institutional arrangements for integrated water resources management and agriculture service delivery in selected large-scale public schemes in Northern Nigeria.”
NAN reports that the Mission’s Team Leader, Mr David Casanova, had earlier paid a courtesy call on the Managing Director, Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority, Alhaji Mukhtar Anka.
Casanova said that the visit was aimed at assessing the progress made so far, with a view to ensuring successful implementation of the project.
Responding, Anka, a former Deputy Governor of Zamfara, said the authority was also committed to the successful implementation of the project. (NAN)