Kano State Executive Council, EXCO, has approved the expenditure of N500 million as counterpart fund for the implementation of a six year World Bank assisted project tagged: Agro Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes, ACReSAL.
The state commissioner for information, Malam Muhammad Garba, who briefed reporters on the outcome of the council meeting, said the project was aimed at increasing the adoption of climate resilience landscape management practices and enhance livelihood in targeted arid and semi-arid watersheds in northern Nigeria.
The project is being handled in conjunction with both the Federal Ministry of Environment and it's state counterpart to consolidate the achievements recorded under the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project in Kano.
He further said that the council also approved the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, on the health programme between the state government, Bill and Melinda Gates and Aliko Dangote Foundations.
Malam Garba stated that the MoU, which followed the significant progress achieved in the programme, was aimed at improving Routine Immunisation, RI, services in the state with focus on optimizing vaccine availability at service delivery points, among others.
The commissioner also announced that the council approved the MoU between the state government and Medina Academy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the physical training of 5, 000 teachers at Madina, adding that the government would be responsible for providing air return tickets, visas, training allowance to the first batch of 50 teachers that will attend the intensive training in Madina before Ramadan.
Malam Garba added that approval had also been given by council for the release of N94, 922, 380 million to facilitate the settlement of rent stores and garage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 2020 and 2021 pilgrims.
According to Garba, the council further approved the ratification of various administrative approvals that included contract for the completion of dualized five - kilometre road network in Tofa Local Government Area; as well as construction of road networks at Dawanau town of Dawakin in the same local government.
Others included the ratification of award of contract for the reconstruction of Dawakin Tofa-Kiyawa Road; release of fund for the training of healthcare personnel and refund on stamp duty and educational support fund; contract for internet service renewal and annual maintenance of ICT equipment and deployment of Hospital Management Information System, HMIS, software at Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital.
The rest are engagement of consultant for the supervision of the proposed Kano state Fibre Optics Network Project; procurement of firefighting operational vehicles; maintenance of 12 selected metropolitan roads; contract for management and maintenance of street lightening, fountain and landscape area of Dangi interchange as well as the purchase of one unit of 350 KVA MIKANO generator.
