Zamfara Govt to spend 1.6 Bn on Bakolori irrigation project

Zamfara state government has promised to pay counterpart funding worth one billion, six million naira, for reviving Bakolori irrigation dam which is to be executed by World Bank in collaboration with the federal government.

Governor Abdul-Aziz Yari Abubakar stated this when he received David Cassanova, World Bank Task Team leader on transforming irrigation management in Nigeria.

Yari assured that his administration was ready to release the counterpart fund for successful commencement of the project considering its importance. He thanked the World Bank and federal ministry of water resources for their commitment towards reviving the activities of Bakolori irrigation project that if the project is completed, unemployment would be reduced and economy of Zamfara would be improved.

In his remarks, the World Bank task team leader, David Cassanova told the Governor that World Bank has designed to execute the irrigation project in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Jigawa, Gombe and Borno states at the cost of five hundred US Dollars in which hundred million dollars would be spent for reviving  the Bakolori irrigation project.

Cassanova explained that Zamfara state government is expected to provide eight million US dollars as counterpart fund adding that the project would commence by January 2016.

While emphasizing the benefit of the projects, Project Coordinator, Engineer Peter Manjuk disclosed  that  seven thousand existing hectares would be rehabilitated while over five thousand six hundred new hectares would be introduced at Bakolori irrigation project. He revealed that the entire project would be supervised by federal ministry of water resources.