The President of the African Union’s Great Green Wall Youth Advisory Board (AUGGWI YAB) participated in the Great Green Wall (GGW) Day campaign in Nigeria. Senator Kashim Shettima, the Vice President of Nigeria, alongside Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady, launched the campaign to address the ecological challenges facing the country.
The Vice President urged Nigerians and stakeholders to support the Great Green Wall Initiative as an urgent mission to combat climate change and restore fertile lands.
Senator Shettima emphasized the administration’s commitment to fulfilling the promise of completing the Great Green Wall made during the election campaign. He stated that neglecting this initiative would endanger the collective existence of the country. The event aimed to honor a resolution made during the Council of Ministers’ session in June 2022 to implement the Great Green Wall Initiative.
Ibrahim Yusufu, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, highlighted the importance of aggressive afforestation and reforestation efforts at national and sub-national levels to address challenges such as drought, desertification, land degradation, and climate change. The National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) was established in 2015 to pursue the vision of the African Union’s Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI). The initiative has significantly improved the livelihoods of affected communities in Nigeria’s frontline states.
Yusuf Bukar, the Director-General of NAGGW, described the Great Green Wall as the largest living structure on the planet and a transformative African-led initiative that restores degraded landscapes and improves lives in the Sahel region. He stated that the initiative spans 8,000km across Africa and is being implemented in 22 African countries.
Abdulhamid Tahir Hamid, the President of the African Union’s Great Green Wall Youth Advisory Board, emphasized the importance of hosting the Great Green Wall Day in Nigeria and the frontline states to combat desertification and restore the environment. He commended the agency for establishing a Youth Volunteer Program in the frontline states and highlighted the potential of the Great Green Wall project to enhance food security, generate employment opportunities, and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Since 2015, the Great Green Wall initiative in Nigeria has been actively involved in afforestation, reforestation, and providing alternative sources of energy and cooking. It has made significant progress in mitigating the impact of climate change in the frontline states.
