The World Bank has approved $500 million in additional financing to restore degraded landscapes and strengthen climate resilience across northern Nigeria, expanding a programme that has already reached more than 4.4 million people.

The funding, announced in Abuja on 6 November, goes to the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes programme, known as ACReSAL. It brings total financing for the project to $1.2 billion, following the original $700 million approved in December 2021.

By 2031, the additional financing is expected to help restore 1.4 million hectares of degraded land and benefit 6.6 million people, the World Bank said. The work will cover watershed rehabilitation, erosion and flood management, improved water management and support for rural livelihoods.

Progress since 2022

ACReSAL operates across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, and is implemented by the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the ministries responsible for water resources and agriculture.

Since 2022, the programme has introduced sustainable landscape management practices on approximately 550,000 hectares, surpassed its target for improved catchment management and reached more than 4.4 million beneficiaries, according to the World Bank.

"ACReSAL has demonstrated that investments in climate-resilient landscapes can improve livelihoods, strengthen food and water security, and help communities in the parts of Nigeria most vulnerable to climate shocks," said Mathew Verghis, the World Bank's country director for Nigeria.

He added that the additional financing "will help scale up proven solutions, restore more degraded land, increase agricultural productivity, and strengthen institutions that can sustain these gains over the long term."

What the money will fund

The expanded programme is expected to raise household incomes, reduce farmer, herder and community conflicts over land and water, improve vegetation and soil health, and cut flooding and associated deaths, the Bank said.

Iganya Joy Agene, the task team leader for ACReSAL, said the additional financing "will focus on translating the planning and institutional foundations already established under the project into larger-scale investments that improve climate adaptation, food security, water security, jobs, and economic opportunities."

The funding comes from the International Development Association, the World Bank's financing arm for low-income countries, and the expanded programme is expected to run through November 2031.

The approval also comes as Nigeria's borrowing from the World Bank continues to grow. Figures from the Debt Management Office showed Nigeria's outstanding debt to the Bank rose from $14.34 billion in March 2023 to $20.73 billion in June 2026. Approval of financing does not mean the full sum has been disbursed, and the Bank's targets for land restored and people reached are goals for 2031, not results already achieved.

Sources: World Bank; Devdiscourse.