Insecurity in Zamfara State has significantly disrupted the progress of the World Bank-funded Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) project, raising concerns about the timely completion of key activities.
However, according to the Implementation Status & Results Report for the project obtained and seen by Nairametrics, the project’s overall performance remains rated as “Moderately Satisfactory”.
The $495.30 million project, which was approved in 2014, aims to improve access to irrigation and drainage services, boost agricultural productivity, and enhance water resource management across Nigeria’s northern region.
Zamfara State remains a significant bottleneck to achieving the full potential of the project. Security threats have disrupted construction activities at the Bakolori Irrigation Scheme (BIS), forcing workers to limit operations to daylight hours and preventing concurrent work at multiple sites.
Consequently, the planned rehabilitation of the Bakolori scheme may not be completed by the closing date.
The report read: “The security concerns in Zamfara State remained the single greatest threat to the full achievement of the target at BIS due to security management constraints, which prevent works outside of daylight hours and do not allow for simultaneous works on several sites.”
These setbacks demonstrated how insecurity not only affects infrastructure development but also jeopardizes livelihoods, as TRIMING aims to reduce rural-urban migration by supporting sustainable agriculture
