The Kano State Government has revealed that it is deepening collaboration with the World Bank and other development partners on waste management and composting, and restoration of degraded landscapes and protect watersheds.
The state’s Commissioner of Environment and Climate Change, Dr Dahir Muhammad Hashim disclosed this at the Agri-Preneurship for Youth Summit 2025, organized by Youth Alumni Association of Nigeria (YAAN), under the sponsorship of Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES), held in Kano over the weekend.
Delivering keynote address at the event, Dr Hashim said the state government, under the leadership of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, is strengthening flood control infrastructure in vulnerable corridors, expanding tree-planting as windbreaks and shelterbelts.
According to him, the government, through his ministry, did not stop at that as it is improving waste management and composting so that organic waste becomes soil nutrition rather than a public health burden.
“Our response in Kano is anchored on practical governance, sound science and community participation. Earlier this year we concluded the Climate Change Policy for Kano State, and we are implementing an Action Plan that connects climate resilience to jobs, food security and human development.
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“We are strengthening flood control infrastructure in vulnerable corridors, expanding tree-planting as windbreaks and shelterbelts, improving waste management and composting so that organic waste becomes soil nutrition rather than a public health burden, and we are deepening collaboration with partners like the World Bank to restore degraded landscapes and protect watersheds.
“These are not abstract projects, they are the foundations that farmers and agribusinesses rely on to plan, invest and grow,” he stated
The Commissioner also disclosed that over the next season, the Ministry would expand community shelterbelts in erosion-prone wards, prioritising farms along flood-exposed corridors.
He added that the ministry would strengthen the seedling distribution system to favour farmer groups that commit to tree survival targets on farms and around homesteads.
“We will widen access to composting and organic fertiliser through public-private partnerships, so that what used to be a waste stream becomes a fertility stream. We will continue our flood control works in high-risk areas, because infrastructure and on-farm practice succeed together, not in isolation.
“We are also opening the door wider to youth-led service businesses. If your venture helps farmers adopt efficient irrigation, reduce losses, plant and maintain trees, digitise records or comply with environmental standards, the Ministry wants to hear from you. Bring us your models, we will help you navigate policy, link you to programmes and identify opportunities to pilot at scale with farmer groups and local governments. Our message is simple. Climate-smart agriculture is not a niche. It is how Kano will feed itself, grow jobs and remain competitive,” he appealed.
Dr Hashim restated the ministry’s readiness to work with development partners and private investors to invest in local capacity, “and measure results that communities can see and feel. Support risk-sharing for early-stage youth ventures, help us modernise extension with digital tools, and co-finance landscape restoration where agriculture and ecology meet.”
Dr Hashim also advised the participants to engage in Climate-smart farming in their investment to support the government’s drive towards achieving successful climate action.
“To the young people in this hall, your role is decisive. You are not simply the beneficiaries of government programmes, you are solution builders and market shapers.
“The most successful agripreneurs of the next decade will be those who combine climate-smart practices with sharp business models. That combination is your competitive advantage. Let me share the pillars that, in our view, should guide agripreneurship in a changing climate.
“First, build your enterprise on healthy soils. Soil is the living capital. Invest in practices that increase organic matter, reduce erosion and improve water retention. Composting, cover crops, minimum tillage and the use of well-made organic amendments will raise yields over time and cut input costs. When soil health improves, resilience improves, and every naira you spend on seed and labour works harder for you.
“Second, manage water as an asset. Efficient irrigation, water harvesting, small storage and smart scheduling can double the value of every litre used on the farm. Many losses occur not in the river or the borehole but in the field through inefficient application.
“This is an area where youth-led services thrive. If you build ventures that audit water use for clusters of farmers, install or maintain drip systems, or provide pay-as-you-go pumping powered by renewables, you will unlock both climate gains and profit,” he advised.
