The World Bank has provided $400 million (about N64 billion) to support the development of Nigeria’s irrigation system, a reliable source has said.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja, that the fund was part of the bank’s efforts to support development projects in the country.
He said the money would be used to boost irrigation and other water management projects, adding that studies were already being carried out on projects to be covered by the fund.
He also said that the project would target existing irrigation schemes that had not been functioning optimally, particularly those located in the North-West region of the country.
The source said: “Irrigation is benefitting in several areas and the World Bank is funding irrigation and water management with a sum of $400 million to assist irrigation development in this country.
“We have just started studies on that project.
“For now, the first phase of the project is going to target irrigation projects in the North-West.
“The truth of the matter is that most of our large-scale irrigation projects are in the North-West.
“What we are going to start with is to look at the existing irrigation projects because those projects have not been performing optimally.
“We want to start by looking at how we can make those projects perform optimally.
“We are trying to complete those that have not been completed.
“Specifically, we are starting with Bakolori Irrigation Scheme and subsequently we will look at other projects in other parts of the country.”
On abandoned projects, the official said “frantic” efforts were being made to ensure the completion of uncompleted projects.
He stressed that it would be unwise to start new projects in the face of financial constraints in the country.
He added: “What we have done is to develop more land for the ongoing projects that we have.
“It doesn’t make sense in the face of financial constraints to go and start new projects when we have not completed the old ones.
“So that has been our focus.
“It is not lack of will or lack of technical capacity.
“It is funding constraints that has been our major challenge.”
On government’s relationship with host communities, he said the policy was to develop the lands and hand it back to these communities.
He, however, assured host communities that their lands won’t be taken away from them as the communities usually feared.
He further said that the World Bank intervention was aimed at fostering the development of the agriculture sector and ensuring food security.
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