The Minister of Environment, Mr. Mohammed Abdullahi, says that the work plan for the implementation of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project will cost $472. 8 million dollars.

Abdullahi disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the ACReSAL Technical Committee Workshop in Lagos.

He said that the national steering committee, comprising the Ministries of Environment, Agriculture, and Water Resources has considered the report of the technical committee on the ACReSAL project.

“Today, we considered the report of the technical committee, which is essentially the work plan and action plan that will now govern implementation across the 19 states and the FCT.

“In the spirit of transparency, and in terms of World Bank protocol, we are going to tell you clearly the total cost of the work plan, which is about 472,870,000 dollars.

“That is the total cost of the work plan to be implemented across the 19 States and the FCT, together with some Federal Government agencies involved in some components of the project.

“This is a six-year program and we are going to start implementation as soon as we have the go-ahead from the World Bank,” Abdullahi said.

He said that the bank would also review the plan.

“It is possible that we stay within this threshold or it will go lower; that depends on the input from the World Bank,” Abdullahi said.

The minister urged the states to build institutional synergy among the various ministries involved in the project for the overall sustainability of the ACReSAL project.

He added that the essence of the project was efficient land management, environmental sustainability, and improvement of the wetlands.

He appealed for deliberate efforts from all stakeholders to ensure its success, adding that ACReSAL had no political party.