ACReSAL Boss, Abdulhamid Umar, bags Dtn@100 Heroes Award for climate resilience, livelihood restoration

Daily Times honours him for driving climate resilience and livelihood restoration across Nigeria.

The National Project Coordinator of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes Project, ACReSAL, Abdulhamid Umar, has been honoured with the DTN@100 Heroes Award – Sustainability by Daily Times Nigeria.

The award was presented to him in Abuja by the Chairman/Publisher of Daily Times Nigeria, Mr. Fidelis Anosike, in recognition of his leadership in driving climate adaptation, environmental restoration, and sustainable livelihoods across 19 northern states and the FCT.

Presenting the award, Anosike said the DTN@100 Heroes Awards were instituted to celebrate Nigerians making tangible impact in nation-building as part of activities marking the centenary of Daily Times Nigeria.

“This Sustainability Award recognizes ACReSAL’s work in restoring degraded lands, improving water resources management, and building community resilience to climate change.

“These are critical to Nigeria’s development future,” Anosike stated.

Receiving the award, Umar dedicated it to the Federal Government, state governments, and communities implementing the World Bank-supported ACReSAL project.

He said the recognition would spur the project team to do more in delivering on its mandate of reducing poverty, increasing food security, and reversing land degradation in Nigeria’s drylands.

“For us at ACReSAL, sustainability is not a slogan. It is about ensuring that today’s interventions do not compromise the ability of future generations to thrive”.

“This award validates the work we are doing with communities on the ground,” Umar said.

The DTN@100 Heroes Awards are part of Daily Times Nigeria @100 celebrations. The awards spotlight individuals and institutions across governance, business, security, health, and development who have demonstrated excellence and service to the country.

ACReSAL is a 6-year project being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Environment with support from the World Bank. It focuses on landscape restoration, community climate resilience, and institutional strengthening in semi-arid areas most affected by desertification, erosion, and flooding.

Since its rollout, the project has recorded gains in watershed management, dryland agriculture, and the provision of alternative livelihoods for vulnerable households.