The World Bank over the weekend commended the staff
and management of Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) for
effectively executing the project and making it a success story in the country.
The bank Practice Manager, Department of
Environment, Mrs. Maria Savaf, made the commendation in Abuja during a maiden
visit to the Minister of Environment, Alhaji Suleiman Zarma.
Savaf, who led the World Bank team to brief the
minister on NEWMAP and West Africa Coastal Areas Management Programme, attributed
NEWMAP's feat to the hard work of its staff.
According to her, "The World Bank and Ministry
of Environment have long time partnership. As World Bank, if we want to give
example of what we do in the environment in West Africa, we will give example
of NEWMAP as success story."
Savaf sought the federal government’s legal support
to facilitate additional financing for NEWMAP project.
"Going forward, last year was very hard to get
additional financing for NEWMAP, and then one thing, may be, we will make a
request for some help to move it forward because up till now, additional
financing has not been effected because we are still waiting for legal opinion,"
she stated.
According to her, "May be this is something
that I have to request from the minister to talk to the Ministers of Justice
and Finance in to enable us start working on additional financing.”
The World Bank official also commended the federal
government for including NEWMAP in its 2019 national budget proposal, urging
the government to make its counterpart funding available to aid the
implementation of the project.
Savaf revealed that the bank had secured fund to
conduct a preparatory study to prioritise plans for the country’s coastal areas
management programme.
Responding, Zarma, who thanked the World Bank for
investing in the people and the environment, said NEWMAP had gone a long way in
addressing ecological problems in Nigeria.
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