Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) recently bags Sustainable Development (SD) 2019 FY Awards in view of its innovation and transformational approach to sustainable land management in Nigeria.
The sustainable Development Africa award was organized by the World Bank Headquarters in DC and coordinated by two Directors, Simeon K. Ehui and Ede Jorge Ijjasz-Vasquez. A total of eight selected World Bank-assisted projects in Africa participated in the competition.
The projects includes West Africa Coastal Areas Program (WACA) in Senegal; Agriculture Growth and Land Management Project (CASEF), Madagascar; Cameroon Flood Emergency Project; and Development Response to Displacement Impact Project, Uganda.
Other selected projects that featured in the occasion are Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP); Forest-Smart Development, Democratic Republic of Congo and Turning Sand into Water, Som.
NEWMAP bags first position in audience award and second position on Africa SD team Awards-Jury Results following WACA-Uganda project that took first position on Team Awards-Jury Results.
Dr. Amos Abu, Senior Environmental Specialist, World Bank Nigeria Office and Task Team leader, NEWMAP, during his presentation highlighted that Nigeria Government approached the World Bank for assistance given the enormity of erosion devastation in Nigeria.
According to Dr. Abu, today, NEWMAP is a model approach to erosion control and sustainable land management in Nigeria and even some African countries have visited Nigeria to understudy NEWMAP sustainable approach to land management.
He further explained that NEWMAP implementation approach is innovative, a combination of civil engineering, bioremediation, sustainable livelihood program as well as the application of modern technology such as drone.
Dr. Abu spoke on NEWMAP partnership with China and India under the umbrella of the South-South Knowledge Exchange (SSKE) which has evolved as a medium of knowledge exchange on sustainable land management amongst Nigeria, China and India.
Dr. Abu narrated that Nigeria Sovereign Green Bonds supported by NEWMAP, had been twice over subscribed following the issuance by the Nigeria Stock Exchange. The said that the green bond projects are climate friendly and will support activities on renewable energy, sustainable land use, clean transportation, waste management etc.
