The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has revealed plans to support the Great Green Wall initiative with $6.5 billion over the next five years.
Dr. Akinwunmi made this known during the One Planet Summit, a forum hosted by France and UK today 11th of January 2021.
READ: AfDB: AAA rating by Moody’s validates the strength of the bank – Adesina
According to NAN, Adesina said the Great Green Wall was part of Africa’s environmental defence system, an initiative created to shield the continent against the onslaughts of desertification and degradation.
In an effort to make this a reality, he announced that the African Development Bank would mobilise 6.5 billion dollars in support of the Great Green Wall over the next five years.
The President said the $6.5 billion would be made available through a range of programmes by drawing on internal as well as external sources of funding.
READ: UN to support Nigeria, Burkina Faso and others with $100 million to prevent famine
What you should know
- The Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel is a flagship initiative led by the African Union to combat desertification. The plan is to plant an 8,000 km long and 15 km wide mosaic of trees, grasslands, vegetation and plants across the Sahara and Sahel.
- According to a report by the Sahara and Sahel Observatory, the Great Green Wall initiative was launched at the Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Burkina Faso in June 2005.
- The initiative was designed first to serve as a means to combat desertification and poverty and was initially limited to the establishment of a “green belt” of trees.
READ: Germany, Sweden, others donate $90million towards sustainable energy fund for Africa – AfDB
What they are saying
According to his statement during the Summit, Dr Adesina said:
- “I am therefore pleased to announce that without the Great Green Wall, in the face of climate change and desertification, the Sahel may disappear. By building the Great Green Wall, we will secure the Sahel, reduce climate change, reduce migration and improve the lives of people.”
READ: Nigeria spends N16bn annually to import beans from neighbouring countries – FG
Why this matters
- The Great Green Wall is expected to restore Africa’s degraded lands and boost the production of adequate food, create jobs and promote peace in the region. It will also help to foster the integration of people in the continent and globally.
- The initiative brings together more than 20 countries, including Algeria, Burkina Faso, Benin, Chad, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, The Gambia and Tunisia.
