GGW Alone Can’t Nigeria’s Land Degradation Crisis, Says DG Abubakar
The Great Green Wall initiative alone cannot the tackle land degradation challenge facing Nigeria and most parts of the Sahel, said Mr. Saleh Abubakar. Abubakar, the Director General of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, NAGGW, revealed this at a strategic meeting in Abuja recently.
This is just as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) allotted $3.28 million for Kebbi State to address land degradation. This funding attempts to address the pressing ecological issues the area is facing and is a part of a larger program by the NAGGW, says Mr. Jonah Stanley, the Operational Focal Point for GEF.
The session brought together key players, including the Federal Ministry of Environment, NAGGW, and Sec Diarra & Sages Consult Group, to discuss strategies for maximizing the impact of the funding.
In his remarks at the meeting, Mr. Abubakar, highlighted the severity of land degradation issues in the country, stressing the importance of collaborative efforts across different agencies.
He said: “Addressing land degradation is not solely the responsibility of the Great Green Wall initiative. Our work complements that of other organizations. Where they don’t operate, we step in, and even where there is overlap, we maintain a strong focus on our mandate.”
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Stanley emphasized that the newly approved project aims to mitigate the adverse effects of dry land conditions and foster ecosystem regeneration in Kebbi. “This funding will help us tackle the pressing challenges of land degradation in dry areas and promote the recovery of local ecosystems,” he said.
Prof. Robert Yougbar from Sec Diarra & Sages Consult Group underscored the dual goals of the initiative: restoring degraded land and revitalizing local communities. Yougbar’s view was corroborated by Dr. Innocent Alenyi, acting Director of Planning Policy and Coordinator for NAGGW, who highlighted the essential role of civil society in supporting anti-deforestation and land restoration efforts.
The $3.28 million investment is expected to drive substantial progress, reinforcing Nigeria’s commitment to sustainable environmental management and community resilience.
With this new funding, the NAGGW is set to intensify its efforts to combat land degradation, ensuring that Kebbi State not only recovers environmentally but also thrives socially and economically.
The GEF, a global funding body known for supporting a wide range of environmental initiatives, provides grants and blended financing for projects targeting biodiversity, climate change, international waters, and land degradation in Nigeria, which has benefited from GEF’s funding over the years.
