The provision of food security and conducive sustainable environment no doubt occupies the center focus of the present administration. This perhaps is why two major initiatives, often referred to as flagship projects on Agriculture and Environment:, the FADAMA Programme (now FADAMA III AF) and the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project(NEWMAP) have continued to help achieve sustainable development; through their various project implementation activities which has impacted greatly on the social infrastructure and the livelihoods of Nigerians.
This fact was stressed in faraway Beijing , China when the National Coordinator Nigeria Erosion & Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) Salisu Dahiru and the Task Team Leader FADAMA III AF Adetunji Adeleke Oredipe led a special technical project operations delegation on exposure visit to China and to the World Bank in Beijing as part of the ongoing cooperation of the South-South Learning and Knowledge sharing for Watershed Management, Infrastructure and Agriculture (SSKE) between China, India and Nigeria.
This exposure visit came at the heels of the SSKE organized Geospatial Knowledge Fair held to commemorate the international space week: an International Conference that brought together distinguished experts from all over the globe and Nigeria to discuss on Geo-spatial technology and the modern innovations to watershed management and smart Agriculture.
The World Bank task teams secured financing from the China-World Bank Group Trust Fund of USD 433,000 to enhance South-South Learning and Knowledge (SSKE) sharing for Watershed Management, Infrastructure and Agriculture between China, India and Nigeria.
This Trust fund (TF) is to enhance South-south knowledge (SSKE) sharing on infrastructure development associated with major land and gully restoration, agricultural development and climate smart agriculture on restored lands, and applications of remote sensing, GIS, and Decision Support Systems (DSS) for more effective project management and M&E.
According to the SSKE Coordinator, Dr. Joy Agene the activity of the SSKE “would benefit the outcomes of NEWMAP, the Neeranchal National Watershed Project in India and FADAMA Project in Nigeria in terms of information and knowledge that would be shared among the participating countries of China, India and Nigeria.”
Speaking in Beijing on the SSKE between China, India and Nigeria, Mr. Harold Bedoya World Bank acting country Director, said the World bank secured the trust fund to further support the two projects of FADAMA and NEWMAP, which are not only the two biggest Projects of the world Bank in Nigeria, but also two performing Projects which are pragmatic initiatives of the Nigerian government with great positive impacts on the people.
He said this support by the World Bank brings about a global wealth of experience to Nigeria because the SSKE will tap on the successful experiences of World Bank support to China and India in the area of Agriculture and sustainable environment.
Salisu Dahiru, National Coordinator NEWMAP acknowledged that the SSKE Knowledge sharing and Transfer “has conveniently piloted the two projects towards common grounds and cooperation and will further boost the activities of the projects, and improve the technical approach to watershed management.” He acknowledged that the principle behind the SSKE will support accelerated and sustainable development in the area of smart Agriculture, water conservation and environmental management as well. Dr. Adetunji Oredipe, acknowledge enhanced cooperation and collaboration of the two projects (NEWMAP and FADAMA) under the SSKE, and all accrued benefits derivable via knowledge transfer and experiences of like Projects in China and India, which will surely impact positively on the various critical project beneficiaries.
