The World Bank adds $500 million to ACReSAL to restore 1.4 million hectares of land in northern Nigeria
The additional financing extends the climate-resilience project to 2031 across the 19 northern states and the FCT.
Key findings
- The World Bank approved $500 million of additional financing for ACReSAL, running to 2031.
- The project aims to restore 1.4 million hectares of degraded land and benefit 6.6 million people.
- Since 2022 it has covered about 550,000 hectares and reached more than 4.4 million beneficiaries, the Bank said.
- A separate $500 million INFRAGROW loan is proposed but not yet approved, Daily Trust reported.
- IDA was owed $19.12 billion at the end of June 2026, 35.07% of Nigeria's $54.52 billion external debt.
The World Bank has approved $500 million of additional financing for the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, Daily Trust reported, citing a Bank press release dated 6 November 2026. The money, expected to run until 2031, will pay for watershed rehabilitation, water management, erosion and flood control and support for rural livelihoods.
The Bank expects the new phase to restore 1.4 million hectares of degraded landscapes and to benefit 6.6 million people through higher household incomes, better soils and higher farm yields. Since its launch in 2022, ACReSAL has brought sustainable land management to about 550,000 hectares and reached more than 4.4 million beneficiaries, the Bank said. The Federal Ministry of Environment runs the project with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The approval is separate from a proposed $500 million World Bank loan for the Nigeria Infrastructure Financing and De-Risking Platform for Growth and Jobs (INFRAGROW), part of a wider $3.85bn arrangement, which Daily Trust said has not yet been approved; the Bank's project document gives May 2027 as its estimated approval date.
- Owed to the World Bank's IDA
- $19.12 billion
- Owed to the IBRD
- $1.61 billion
- Total external debt
- $54.52 billion
Why it matters
The financing targets land degradation and water stress in the north, which affect farm output and food prices. It also adds to Nigeria's external borrowing. Dataminal's debt data show that at the end of June 2026 Nigeria owed $19.12 billion to the World Bank's International Development Association, 35.07% of its $54.52 billion external debt and more than any other creditor, plus $1.61 billion to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. IDA lends on concessional terms, so its loans cost less than Eurobonds but still add to the stock to be repaid.
What to watch
- When the additional financing becomes effective and the first disbursements reach states.
- The DMO's external debt figures for September 2026.
- Progress on the proposed INFRAGROW loan.
Methodology
Details of the additional ACReSAL financing and the proposed INFRAGROW loan are as Daily Trust reported them from the World Bank's 6 November 2026 release and project document. External debt by creditor and the external debt total, as at 30 June 2026, come from Dataminal's public debt dataset, built from the Debt Management Office's releases; IDA's share is Dataminal's calculation from those two figures.