The Great Green Wall Programme imple­mentation Unit (GGW/PIU) in Nigeria

Photo credit: treeplantingholidays.com

Prospects of Great Green Wall initiative

BY MOSHOOD ISAH

EXCERPT

Great Green Wall : Workers water the Widu tree nursery in Senegal Louga region in 2012 – http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h–/q-95/sys-images/Environment/Pix/columnists/2012/7/12/1342102638249/Great-Green-Wall—Worker-008.jpg

In a bid to further improve Agriculture and increase envi­ronmental sustainability, Presi­dent Goodluck Jonathan has ap­proved the upgrade of the Great Green Wall Programme imple­mentation Unit (GGW/PIU) to become an independent agency. The GGW/PIU now known as National Agency on Great Green Wall (NAGGW) was endorsed by the administration to urgently and holistically address the chal­lenges bedevilling desertification in the Northern parts of Nigeria.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Alhaji Goni Ahmed, who disclosed the new develop­ment, added that the President saw the need to upgrade the unit because of his belief and passion in environmental protection.

Interestingly some develop­ment partners have shown inter­est in the project with World Bank leading the pack. A leader of World Bank team to Nigeria who is also World Bank Senior Social Development specialist on Carbon Finance, Haddy J. Sey, who led a team to the agency said the Bank would collaborate with the agency on an initiative to reducing emis­sion from desertification and for­est degradation (REDD+) in de­veloping countries.

In this vein, the federal gov­ernment has taken the first giant stride in expending resources for the success of the Great Green Wall (GGW) project, aimed at ad­dressing desertification along the 11 northern frontline states.

The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam who has also demonstrated greater com­mitment of the government to the project, has stressed that the project will provide shelter for the communities and also create an ozone-friendly environment in the selected states.

By all accounts, President Goodluck Jonathan appears to have taken the bull by the horns in mustering the political will to formally launch the Nigerian com­ponent of the Great Green Wall (GGW) Programme in states, like Katsina, Kebbi, and also taking the trend towards Borno State.

To further boost the initia­tive, the Federal Government has also approved contract for the procurement of 750,000 units of clean cooking stove, worth N9.2 billion, and 18,000 wonderbags (eco-friendly non-electric por­table slow cookers) for free dis­tribution to rural women nation­wide.

Read the full article: The Sun