Holds stakeholders engagement workshop in Lokoja.
The ACResal strategic stakeholders have been tasked to focus on the development of catchment Management plans to enable integration of social, and economic needs with natural ecosystem for the long time use of natural resources.
This was disclosed by the National Project Coordinator of Agro – Climatic Resilience in Semi Arid and Landscapes ACResal, Mr. Abdulhamid Umar at the Stakeholders Engagement for the development of Sarkin-Powee, Okwa – Mada, Gurara – Gbako, Lokoja-Niger and Aloma – Ebonyi strategic Catchment Management Plans held on Friday in Lokoja, Kogi State.
He said the Catchment, which is also the same as watershed, noted as geographical area drained by a particular water body, which former the major component of living and non living things of the environment.
The Coordinator noted that the support of the water body that drains an area is not a respecter of political boundaries, hence, urge the stakeholders to lump up various local and states Governments under one or different Catchment.
He explained that ACResal is already using an integrated Catchment Management approach and leverage the use of state of the art disruptive technology in accounting for monitoring and evaluating her activities.
He added that ACResal also focuses on ensuring that women and girl child benefit from the project and should be integrated fully into the society.
According to him, ACResal takes as indispensable the critical components of catchment Management planning which should be guided by the use of evidence based scientific justifications to determine what, where, and when activities should be located.
He said the Objectives of this stakeholders workshop is essentially to derive a shared vision of the strategic stakeholders for an ideal Nigerian catchment that will build and forestall peace within the Catchment, thereby taking into consideration the opportunities and challenges in catchment that will form part of the Catchment Management Plans, which should be integrated into short, medium and long time plans.
He called on the stakeholders not to build into the project only short term fixes, but long term transformation by restoring dignity to drylands and to rebalance ecosystem, urging them to segregate the plans into short medium and long term plans.
He advised stakeholders to be meticulous in planning for a project, pointing out that without proper plan, the organisation is invariably planning to fail.
While asking the Stakeholders to make judicious use of the engagement to make meaningful contributions to document and ensure that the contribution and concern are integrated into the document.
Earlier, Kogi state Coordinator, Barr. Ladi Jatto Ahmed, commended the Management of ACResal for considering Kogi state for the hosting of Stakeholders Engagement for ACResal eleven strategic components.
She said the presence of the Stakeholders underscores the shared commitment to restoring landscape, safeguard environment and promoting sustainable land and water resource Management.
She urge the participants to use their expertise and local knowledge in shaping the strategic stakeholders management plans while asking them to participate actively and make contributions to enrich the planing process.
In his remarks, Gov. Usman Ahmed Ododo, described the engagement as coming at a better time, said developing a workable catchment Management Plans aside protecting the environment, empowers the people, particularly, women and children.
In their separate goodwill messages, the Kogi State Commissioner For Water Resources Engr Yahaya MD Farouk, his counterparts in the Agriculture and food security Ministry, Hon. Timothy Ojomah, lauded the initiative of Acresal in developing workable catchment Management Plans, praised the World Bank for their sustained support to the ACReSAL Project.
In his remarks, the Maigari of Lokoja, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Kabir Maikarfi IV, urged for sustainable Policies that would emanate from develop workable catchment Management Plans, assures of the support of Traditional Rulers in the catchment components to the success of the program.
The stakeholders’ engagement for the development of the strategic catchment management plan, covering 11 catchments, including parts of Kogi State within 20 broader catchment areas, holding in Lokoja, is taken place from August 15th to 24th, bringing together stakeholders from ten States.
