Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Terlumun Utsev, has expressed satisfaction that the Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) Project has transformed vulnerable groups, particularly those made up of women, girls and youths.
The minister stated this at a workshop on Dissemination of Gender Mainstreaming and Gender Based Violence Success Stories under TRIMING, held at Bristol Palace Hotel, Kano.
Prof. Utsev, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Mr Richard Pheelangwah, said the occasion was to celebrate the progress made in gender mainstreaming and the prevention of gender-based violence within the TRIMING intervention schemes.
The occasion was also to reflect on the journey that transformed the target groups within their respective communities and the lessons so far learnt, to move forward, he said.
TRIMING Project was initiated to improve the performance of irrigation systems and strengthen institutional arrangements for integrated water resources management and agriculture.
Utsev said the project is highly transformative considering the inclusion of gender and social safeguards as key components to the project development agenda.
“This made it necessary for infrastructure development projects to include the social dynamics to create access, control, and benefits to the target communities and groups.
“The achievements being celebrated today are not mere formalities, but testimonies that have transformed communities through the support of critical stakeholders,” he said, commending the World Bank for its technical and financial support towards the actualisation of the initiatives.
Responding on the testaments and shared lessons, the minister praised President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, for providing the needed platform and resources to implement numerous initiatives under the Renewed Hope Agenda, which he explained, are aimed at boosting food production and reducing the poverty rate across the country.
According to Prof. Utsev, some of the president’s programmes in this regard, include the reestablishment of the agricultural sector, support for smallholder farmers, expansion of dry season farming to maximise year-round productivity and mechanisation of agriculture to reduce labour intensity and increase efficiency.
Other programmes, he said, include rehabilitation of irrigation facilities, as well as youth and women engagement, through greenhouse cultivation, among others.
Meanwhile, Utsev highlighted the successes recorded to include: Institutionalization of Gender-Based Violence Response; Women’s Leadership in Water Users Association (WUAs); Women’s Empowerment in Irrigation Management; Capacity Building and Behavioral Change; Cultural and Social Norm Shift; and Partnerships with Women-Led and Grassroots Organizations, etc.
“For everyone present today, who has followed the trend of progress recorded under the TRIMING project, will surely attest to how it has transformed the position of these target groups across the participating States from being vulnerable to viable status that recognises women, girls, youth, and other disadvantaged groups as critical actors in the agricultural and water management ecosystems,” Utsev said.
Deputy Director Irrigation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr Hauwa Muhammed Sadique, who represented the permanent secretary of the ministry, said from the conceptualisation and implementation of the TRIMING Project, gender equality, prevention of Gender-Based Violence, and social inclusion were recognised as essential cross-cutting pillars for the success and sustainability of irrigation infrastructure and agricultural development.
