By Our Correspondent

The Gombe State Office of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) has partnered with Youth O’Clock to promote environmental sustainability, economic development, and social accountability across Gombe State.

The partnership was formalized during a meeting held at the ACReSAL State Office in Gombe, where both parties agreed to collaborate on various environmental initiatives targeting nine communities: Dukku, Hashidu, Malala, Billiri, Kaltungo, Cham, Gwani, Wade, and Nono.

Speaking during the meeting, ACReSAL State Project Coordinator, Dr. Sani Adamu Jauro, said the collaboration would focus on tree planting, medical outreaches, and town hall meetings aimed at enhancing grassroots engagement and supporting climate action efforts in the state.

On his part, the State Coordinator of Youth O’Clock, Comrade Abdulazeez Sani Labaran, revealed that at least 4,500 trees would be planted across the nine communities, with each community receiving a minimum of 500 trees. He added that Youth O’Clock also plans to establish orchards in all public higher institutions across Gombe State to foster both environmental and economic benefits.

Deputy State Coordinator of Youth O’Clock, Maryam Adamu, disclosed that a mega event is planned across the three senatorial zones of the state. The event will incorporate tree planting activities, medical outreach programs, and town hall meetings, while also addressing critical social issues such as drug abuse prevention, herders-farmers conflict resolution, and public health education.

Dr. Jauro assured that ACReSAL would provide technical training to the Youth O’Clock team to ensure effective service delivery on environmental projects. He commended the organization for its initiative and reaffirmed ACReSAL’s commitment to advancing environmental resilience efforts in the state.

Highlighting ACReSAL’s achievements, Dr. Jauro noted that the Gombe State project unit was ranked the best performing among the 19 participating northern states and the Federal Capital Territory during the 2024 performance assessment. He attributed the success to the support from the state government, citizens, and partners like Youth O’Clock.

Other ACReSAL officials present at the meeting included Aminu Maigari from the Climate Change Office; Dr. Ibrahim Jalo, Environment and Safeguard Officer; Mohammed Musa Aliyu, Natural Resource Officer; Mohammed Hassan, Project Accountant; and Abdullahi Hussaini, Management Information Systems Officer.

The Youth O’Clock delegation comprised Deputy Coordinator Maryam Adamu; Treasurer Bello Adamu; Head of Finance Amina Ahmed Yuguda; Head of Advocacy Asma’u Umar Bayu; Head of New Media Mustapha Danyarwa; and team member Joshua Maisheru.

The partnership is expected to boost grassroots participation, promote environmental sustainability, and strengthen climate resilience efforts across Gombe State.