World Bank’s Irrigation Project Covers 43,000 Hectares in Nigeria

News in Brief:

-The World Bank’s TRIMING project has expanded irrigation across 43,400 hectares in Nigeria, boosting food production enough to feed over one million people.

-This initiative has improved water management, infrastructure, and gender inclusion, helping farmers double their yields and empowering communities for sustainable growth.

The World Bank’s Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) project has improved and expanded irrigation across 43,400 hectares of farmland in Nigeria. According to the financial institution, the initiative has supported the production of enough crops to feed more than one million people.

One of the beneficiaries, Mustapha Adamu, a farmer in Kano State, shared how the project transformed his operations.

“Things were bad here; farming this land was a tough task,” he said, referring to his 6,000-hectare farm.

In neighbouring Jigawa State, another farmer, Musa Idris, confirmed similar progress. He noted that farmers in his community now harvest 30 to 35 bags of rice per acre, up from the 15 to 20 bags they previously reaped — a significant jump in productivity.

Boosting Yields and Empowering Communities

Led by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and financed by the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank, the TRIMING project has modernised irrigation systems, improved infrastructure, and trained farmers in efficient water management practices. It also cleared existing irrigation canals and rehabilitated rural roads to enhance farm-to-market access.

Nigeria’s agriculture sector has long struggled with limited access to water and unpredictable weather patterns caused by climate change — both of which deter investment and reduce yields. The TRIMING project aims to reverse this trend by expanding irrigated farmland and empowering farmers to maintain critical infrastructure across four major schemes: Kano River, Hadejia Valley, Bakolori, and Dadin Kowa.

“Women are actively involved now,” said Hajiya Ramatu, a farmer and deputy leader of a women’s group. She recalled that gender inclusion was once rare, but the programme has changed that. Women have since expanded their collective farm holdings from 22 to 37 hectares and now enjoy improved access to markets thanks to better roads.

Looking ahead, the World Bank plans to scale up the project to support Nigeria’s goal of irrigating 500,000 hectares by 2030. Experts say widespread irrigation could double agricultural productivity, reduce reliance on rainfall, and unlock the next phase of growth in Nigeria’s food production sector.