Nigeria has restored 178,235 hectares of degraded land across 19 northern states under the World Bank-funded Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes Project.

Launched in 2022 with $700 million, the initiative aims to rehabilitate one million hectares by 2028 to combat land degradation and stop the Sahara Desert’s advance, which endangers nearly 70% of northern Nigeria’s arable land.

ACReSAL National Project Coordinator, Abdulhamid Umar, announced this at a Lagos retreat on Tuesday, according to The PUNCH.

“This project, supported by the World Bank, addresses severe climate change challenges, particularly land degradation and desert encroachment across the 19 northern states,” Umar said.

“Our efforts aim to reverse land infertility caused by both natural and human factors in a region experiencing increasingly erratic rainfall.”

Umar mentioned that the project has directly benefited over one million people and indirectly impacted around 10 million through initiatives in dryland management, community-driven climate resilience programs, and agricultural support.

He highlighted that these efforts have led to improved soil productivity, increased crop yields, and better livelihoods.

“Our long-term strategy includes promoting community ownership, enacting legal frameworks at the state level, and investing in infrastructure to ensure the sustainability of these gains beyond the project’s six-year funding cycle,” he noted.

The Senior Environmental Specialist at the World Bank and ACReSAL Task Team Leader, Joy Agene, praised the progress as a testament to the strategic planning and collaboration between federal and state governments.

“We’re optimistic about recovering 60 to 70 percent of the 1 million-hectare target by next year,” Agene stated.

The project aligns with Nigeria’s goal to restore 4 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

Experts believe it could serve as a model for other Sahel countries facing similar climate-related challenges.