Abuja: Nigeria and ten other countries in the Sahel region are actively seeking partnerships and investments totaling $6 billion to irrigate 1.2 million hectares of land. This effort aims to address significant regional challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, and food insecurity.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Mrs. Bintia Stephen-Tchicaya, FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for West Africa and FAO Representative for Senegal, highlighted these efforts during a two-day National and Subregional Hand in Hand Investment Forum in Abuja. She emphasized the interconnected nature of the challenges faced by West Africa and the Sahel, including youth unemployment and land degradation. Stephen-Tchicaya noted the potential for the Hand-in-Hand Initiative to offer solutions through strategic partnerships and investments.
The forum serves as a platform to convert strategic priorities into actionable plans, with irrigation identified as a key enabler. Stephen-Tchicaya underscored its role in enhancing productivity, building climate resilience, and empowering communities. The forum will showcase investment cases demonstrating how irrigation can drive food sovereignty and climate adaptation.
The FAO’s commitment to supporting irrigation was reinforced through the organization of this forum. Stephen-Tchicaya called for collaboration to achieve large-scale results across the sub-region. The ten Sahel countries involved in the HiH Regional Initiative-Burkina Faso, Chad, Cameroon, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal-along with sub-regional organizations CILSS and ECOWAS, will present their five-year irrigation investment plans. These plans collectively aim to irrigate or rehabilitate 1.2 million hectares, requiring approximately $8 billion, with $2 billion already committed by the participating countries.
