The Nigerian government has disbursed about N12 billion to 9,648 recipients across 135 rural communities in 15 Northern states as part of its Community Revolving Fund Program under the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project.

Environment Minister Balarabe Lawal announced this on Wednesday, in Abuja, at the seventh ministerial press briefing series for 2025.

According to Mr. Lawal, as of March 22, 2025, $8.6 million (more than N12 billion) had been disbursed to 345 localities in the participating states, affecting 9,648 people, 5,397 men, and 4,251 women.

The ACReSAL project, a joint venture between the Nigerian government and the World Bank, is being executed in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The minister highlighted that the programme had restored 178,235 hectares of degraded land and directly supported over one million people, with women making up 50 per cent of beneficiaries.

Indirectly, over 13 million Nigerians have gained from the project’s ripple effects.

To curb environmental crimes and boost forest protection, Mr Lawal revealed that the National Park Service had received 11 operational vehicles and six new ranger outposts under ACReSAL’s forest security component.

Along with drought-tolerant seedlings, organic fertilisers, and solar irrigation systems to increase productivity and lessen labour, the project has provided 56,873 smallholder farmers with 1,450 hand-held tillers and 245 tractors to promote mechanised agriculture.

The minister also announced that, as part of the global 50×2030 effort, ACReSAL and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) would strategically collaborate to undertake Nigeria’s largest agriculture-focused survey.

This effort aims to close important data gaps and support smart policy choices.

Source: DANews

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