FG pledges $550,000 to Great Green Wall secretariat, seeks partnership on climate change, poverty

The Federal Government has pledged $550,000 towards the building of the Great Green Wall Secretariat.

President Muhammadu Buhari made this known at the 8th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW, )hosted by Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday.

The president was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
He said African countries must continue to explore various measures to combat climate change, desertification while also addressing food insecurity and poverty across the continent.

According to him, this was one of the reasons why Nigeria plans to attain net zero by 2060; as its “energy transition plan also focuses on how to creatively transit to net zero emissions and at the same time increase access to power and high agricultural and industrial output.”

Nigeria is part of the African Union’s Great Green Wall initiative which aims to restore the continent’s degraded landscapes and transform millions of lives, while boosting food security, and strengthening climate resilience.

Highlighting the importance of tackling both poverty and climate change on the continent, the President said: “It is important to emphasize that for Africa, mitigation and adaptation methods for climate change must be mindful of the fact that Africa is confronted with twin challenges. The ravages of climate change but perhaps more importantly the existential problem of extreme poverty. Both, not one, must be addressed.

“We must take every opportunity and especially at meetings like this, to remind ourselves as African leaders and our development friends, of what the Great Green wall Initiative is and what it is not.”

According to the President, while the original vision was to create a wall of trees against desertification in the Sahel, the horn and across North Africa, the Great Green Wall today has a more ambitious reach—it is now a variety of sustainable land use practices designed to combat climate change and desertification and to address food insecurity and poverty.

Buttressing on measures taken by Nigeria so far in addressing climate change, the President added: “Nigeria believes that protecting our planet, its biodiversity and climate are essential to our collective survival.  The impact of climate change is upon us all over the continent – drought and desertification increasing conflicts over pasture and water, food insecurity, loss of livelihood and youth migration among others.”

Noting the receding Lake Chad due to the effects of climate change, the President observed that if this major challenge is not addressed urgently, “fishing, dry season farming and all other associated value chain benefits are lost or greatly reduced.”

He called for synergy among African countries in addressing these existential and other associated challenges.

“We must build climate-resilient economies that effectively align with the SDGs and that have great potential for unlocking the full opportunities in different sectors of the economy, while protecting the resources for present and future generations,” the president added. 

President Buhari noted steps taken by the Nigerian government in this regard, including the recently signed Nigeria Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project with the World bank.

Also, the President, on behalf of the Nigeria government, and in fulfillment of Nigeria’s pledge to support the PAGGW, stated that he has directed the Federal Ministry of Environment to coordinate the release of some vehicles for the use of the Pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW) Secretariat and Allied Agencies. 

“Having also fulfilled the payment of our outstanding contribution of about $654,291 only, I am also glad to pledge the sum of $550,000 only as our contribution to the building of the Great Green Wall Secretariat.  I call on other member countries to follow suit by contributing towards the building of a befitting office for the PAGGW,” he said.

After declaring open the Session, the Vice President proceeded to flag-off the 2022 Tree Planting Campaign, calling on States Governments to “replicate the same across their various States so that Nigeria can meet its pledge of planting 25 million trees in the next 2 years.”