Green Wall Project: Minister wants states to provide additional funding

President Goodluck Jonathan had released N10 billion for the implementation of the project.

The Minister of Environment, Laurencia Mallam, on Thursday urged governments of the frontline states implementing the Great Green Wall Project (GGWP) to provide additional funding for the programme.

Ms. Mallam made the call at a meeting with the Commissioners of Environment from the 11 frontline states affected by desertification in Abuja.

The 11 frontline states are Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, and Borno.

The implementation of the programme is expected to rehabilitate about 22,000 hectares of degraded lands in the frontline states.

The minister said it was on record that the Federal Government had provided funds for the project.

According to her, it is therefore, pertinent that states key in with new and additional funds so as to improve programme funding.

“We must also explore synergy in our field interventions, to save cost and ensure greater service delivery.’’

President Goodluck Jonathan had released N10 billion for the implementation of the project.

The minister said she would count on the commissioners and the benefiting communities as most important stakeholders in the delivery of the project. She said that the design of the programme was a broad-based community-driven, which made collaboration with other stakeholders imperative.

According to her, the National Council on Shelterbelt and Afforestation under the Chairmanship of the Vice President Namadi Sambo, has given guidance in the implementation of the programme.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Taiye Haruna, said the ministry had instituted a Progarmme Implementation Unit (PIU) to fast-track the realisation of the programme.

Mr. Haruna said the unit would serve as a local and international window for the programme and further enhance collaboration and participation of key stakeholders.

He stressed the importance of the project to the achievement of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan and urged the commissioners to join hands to achieve better results.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo introduced GGWP in 2005 and it was adopted by the African Union (AU) in 2007.

GGWP was aimed at taking concrete measures to solve the problem of environmental degradation, especially desertification in sub-Saharan Africa.

It will enable 11 countries, including Nigeria, to construct a `wall of trees’ stretching 4,300 miles long and nine miles wide across the entire width of the continent from Djibouti to Senegal.

(NAN)