Minister Lawal Receives New World Bank Country Director, Advocates for Stronger Climate Resilience

The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, today, December 4, 2025, received the newly appointed World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Mr. Mathew Verghis, in a courtesy visit at the Ministry’s headquarters.

During the engagement, the Minister expressed profound appreciation for the World Bank’s longstanding partnership and continued support for Nigeria’s environmental programmes, particularly the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project. He highlighted the ACReSAL project’s success in transforming degraded landscapes through digital precision agriculture, which he noted is literally “turning brown to green” by restoring soil fertility, boosting agricultural productivity, and enhancing community livelihoods in the northern states.

Minister Lawal further underscored the growing nexus between environmental degradation and civil insecurity in Nigeria. He noted that diminishing natural resources—land, water, and vegetation—are increasingly becoming triggers for resource-based conflicts, stressing that tackling environmental threats is now inseparable from building national peace and stability.
Discussions also focused on the forthcoming Country Partnership Framework (CPF), which will guide World Bank support to Nigeria in the coming years. The Minister advocated for a stronger emphasis on resilience-building, climate adaptation, and sustainable landscape management within the new framework.

In response, the World Bank Country Director reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s environmental and climate agenda. He pledged to work closely with the Ministry to finalize a robust and results-oriented Country Partnership Framework.