ACReSAL Moves to Fast-Track Catchment Management Plan for Hadejia-Jama’are Basin

The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project has commenced moves to accelerate the implementation of the Strategic Catchment Management Plan (CMP) for the Hadejia-Jama’are Basin.

The Water Resources Specialist of ACReSAL, Mr Shetima Adam, disclosed this at a two-day stakeholders’ engagement on the accelerated implementation of strategic catchment management plans held in Kano.

Adam, who represented the National Coordinator of ACReSAL, Abdulhamid Umar, said the engagement was a follow-up to recommendations contained in the Catchment Management Plans developed for various catchments.

He explained that each catchment has peculiar environmental and socio-economic challenges, making it necessary to involve stakeholders in identifying and prioritising interventions that would deliver the greatest impact.

According to him, the Hadejia-Jama’are Basin was selected for the pilot intervention because of its complexity, importance and the number of states covered by the catchment.

The basin cuts across about seven states, he said, stressing the need for a coordinated approach involving stakeholders from the affected states, development partners, academia, traditional institutions and other relevant organisations.

“We want to get inputs from the stakeholders so that investments within the catchment will be based on their priorities and the identified needs of the communities.

“As soon as we get the inputs of the stakeholders, the next step is implementation,” Adam said.
He said the intervention would focus on restoring ecosystems, improving livelihoods and promoting the sustainable management of natural resources within the catchment.

Adam also highlighted the importance of protecting the Nguru Wetlands and other critical ecosystems located within the Hadejia-Jama’are catchment.

He stressed that coordinated interventions were required to safeguard the environment while improving the livelihoods of communities that depend on the basin’s natural resources.

The ACReSAL official said the stakeholders’ engagement also provided an opportunity for traditional rulers, commissioners, permanent secretaries and other key actors to contribute to the development and implementation of interventions under the catchment management plan.

Also speaking, the ACReSAL Project Coordinator in Bauchi State, Dr Ibrahim Kabir, said the meeting would enable stakeholders to contribute to the effective implementation of the project.

Kabir said the engagement was also aimed at assessing achievements recorded so far under ACReSAL and identifying challenges affecting the implementation of its various interventions.

He explained that the meeting would allow stakeholders to fine-tune strategies for addressing identified challenges while strengthening collaboration among participating states and development partners.

The two-day engagement attracted stakeholders from states covered by the ACReSAL project, including government officials, traditional institutions, development partners, academics and representatives of other relevant organisations.

The stakeholders are expected to provide recommendations and priorities that will guide the next phase of implementation of the Strategic Catchment Management Plan for the Hadejia-Jama’are Basin.