AfDB Supports Water Development in Northern Nigeria

By Adedapo Adesanya

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has signed a €362,000 grant agreement with Hadejia Jama’are Komadugu Yobe Basin-Trust Fund to prepare additional studies under the second phase of developing a strategic plan for managing water resources in the Komadugu-Yobe Basin in northern Nigeria.

Specifically, the grant will support the preparation of a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for the Challawa Gorge Dam Watershed Management Project; a stakeholder engagement plan; a grievance redress mechanism, and stakeholder consultations involving riparian communities and the Lake Chad Basin Commission comprising Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, and Niger Republic. The project will be implemented over eight months.

The Hadejia-Jama’are-Komadugu-Yobe Basin Trust Fund will execute the project. The Trust Fund is jointly funded by the six states of Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Plateau, and Yobe, in collaboration with the federal government.

Speaking on this, Mr Lamin Barrow, Director General of the bank’s Nigeria Country Department, underscored the programme’s importance, saying it would ensure long-term water security for the local people.

“The Komadugu Yobe Multi-Purpose Water Resources Development Program will support socio-economic development, enhanced livelihoods, and environmental sustainability,” Mr Barrow stressed.

On his part, the Executive Secretary of the Hadejia Jama’are Komadugu Yobe Trust Fund, Mr Hassan Bdliya, thanked the lender for its continued support towards sustainable water resources management in the Komadugu-Yobe Basin.

“We are very grateful to African Development Bank for its support. The Bank has been supporting us since 2016. The impact of the Bank’s support has been tremendous. The implementation of this project will have a positive impact on people within the Komadugu-Yobe Basin. The Hadejia Jama’are Komadugu Yobe Trust Fund will work diligently with all stakeholders to ensure the timely completion of the studies”.

The Komadugu Yobe Multi-Purpose Water Resources Development investment programme is a top priority of the Federal Government due to its immense long-term benefits to the inhabitants of six riparian States in Northern Nigeria. It also aligns with the country’s development agenda, including the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021- 2025) and Vision 2050.

Created in 2006, the Hadejia-Jama’are-Komadugu-Yobe Basin Trust Fund is an innovative platform for joint intervention by the riparian states, with the support of the Federal Government for augmenting line agencies in addressing the Komadugu Yobe Basin land and water resources issues.