Agency Urges States to Make Budgetary Allocations to Fight Desertification

Agency Urges States to Make Budgetary Allocations to Fight Desertification

The Director General of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (GGW), Mr. Goni Ahmed, has urged the state governments affected by desertification and other dry-land problems to make financial contributions through budgetary allocations for effective management of the crisis.

He also appealed to them to provide land and community mobiliszation to support the GGW programme designed for the purpose of addressing the challenges of reviving the Sahara and the Sahel to regenerate livelihood.

According to a statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations Unit the group, Larai Daze, Ahmed spoke at a presentation at the technical session of the 10th National Council on Environment taking place in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

The DG, who spoke on the topic: ‘Reviving the Sahara and Sahel to Regenerate Livelihood’, said dry land in the sub-Saharan Africa cover about 14 million square kilometres which hosts about 70 percent of crop land and 82 percent of livestock holders, and productivity in these areas are seriously challenged by natural and human factors.

He said the National Agency for the Great Green Wall which was established by an Act of the National Assembly has embarked on activities in the realisation of the mandate of the GGW programme such as the establishment of shelter belt/windbreak and woodlot plantations; promotion of agro-forestry and renewable energy, farmers-managed natural regeneration, promotion of human livelihood activities, provision of water and rural infrastructure.

Others are skill acquisitions and employment generation, support for dry lands research efforts, school outreach programmes, sand dune stabilisation, oases development, among others.

In recognition of the land degradation as a global phenomenon and the limited success of past efforts, the DG said the GGW initiative was presented by the Nigerian Government to the African Union as a holistic regional approach to combat desertification and improve livelihood of affected communities.

This initiative, he noted, led to the signing of the convention on GGW 11 member-countries and the creation of Pan-African Agency of Great Green Wall (PAGGW) and adopted by the African Union (AU).

He further said that in Nigeria, dry lands constitute about 43 percent of its total land area covering 11 states which are directly threatened by land degradation causing serious food insecurity, abject poverty, forced migration and natural resource use conflicts resulting in insurgency in some areas.

The National Council on Environment which an annual event has in attendance stakeholders from the federal and states Ministry of Environment, NGO's and private organisations. The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, is expected to open the council meeting session during the week.