Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has presented N3 billion to 2,381 beneficiaries in 170 groups from 80 communities impacted by climate change.
 
This is under the Community Revolving Fund (CRF) of the Agro-climate Resilience in Semi-arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project, which is in partnership with the World Bank Group. 
 
Presenting the cheques at the Government House in Lokoja yesterday, Ododo said the Community Revolving Fund is in line with his administration’s commitment to ensure food security and sustainable agricultural practices in the state.
 
The governor, who assured that the state government would continue to provide an enabling environment for the success and sustenance of the ACReSAL project, noted that the effort is to further the development agenda of the state to increase the adoption of sustainable landscape management. He also said it is to strengthen the long-term framework for integrated climate resilience landscape management and effective agricultural practices across communities in the 21 local councils in the state.
 
Ododo commended President Bola Tinubu for giving priority to sustainable agriculture practices and for their unwavering commitment to enhancing the welfare of families in all parts of Nigeria. 

The Commissioner for Environment and Ecological Management, Joseph Oluwasegun, in his speech, said the CRF seeks to place Kogi State on the map where food security and sufficiency are guaranteed in Nigeria. 
 
The governor urged the benefiting groups and communities to utilise the fund with diligence and to demonstrate the ability to ensure that other members of the community continue to benefit from the project. 
  
Earlier in her address, the State Coordinator of ACReSAL, Ladi Ahmed Jatto, said the CRF is an interest-free investment fund which began with the first phase of its disbursement in June 2024 with over 2,381 direct beneficiaries. 
 
She emphasised that the second phase of the disbursement is a justification of the effective utilisation of the first phase and the overall performance of the Kogi State government as adjudged by the World Bank Task Team.
 
She called on beneficiaries to make the best use of the fund, adding that the fund is a loan from the World Bank under guaranteed repayment by the state government.