By YANGE IKYAA
The minister of water resources and sanitation, Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, has highlighted the significant achievements of Nigeria’s ongoing Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) Project.
He made this known during a recent meeting with the World Bank Team on Sustainable Power and Irrigation in Nigeria (SPIN)/TRIMING Project, who visited him at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
Utsev stressed the integral connection between economic sustainability and food security, underlining the TRIMING Project’s pivotal role in enhancing food production within the nation.
He also welcomed the proposal to replace the TRIMING Project, which is set to expire next year, with the Sustainable Power and Irrigation Project for Nigeria (SPIN) by the World Bank, which is expected to address the country’s pressing challenges relating to food sufficiency.
The he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to President’s agenda, emphasizing food security, improved irrigation techniques, and enhanced farming practices across the nation.
The minister also expressed deep gratitude to the World Bank team for the remarkable progress made over the past nine years and expressed optimism that this initiative, which should be a long term engagement, will yield even more significant outcomes.
In his remarks,Mr. Jun Matsumoto, the SPIN/TRIMING World Bank lead, acknowledged the successful transformation of irrigation asset management through the establishment of water users’ associations.
He noted the pivotal role played by these associations in ensuring the sustainable management of irrigation resources and called for support in achieving the project’s objectives.
Mr. Matsumoto further emphasized the critical importance of collaboration in the upcoming SPIN project and elaborated on the SPIN project’s core objectives, which include utilizing existing water resources infrastructure to address the nation’s water resources and energy requirements.
He also revealed that the project will encompass comprehensive technical assistance studies focused on large-scale water resources management and the development of multi-purpose dam hydropower projects.
The World Bank official concluded by highlighting the collaborative efforts involving other ministries, with the ministry of power and the ministry of agriculture also contributing to this endeavor.
The meeting was attended by the minister of state, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Esq; and the permanent secretary, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, alongside members of the World Bank team and several technical directors.
