President Muhammadu Buhari stated that Africa’s ambition to restore over 100 million hectares of degraded landscape for productive agriculture is achievable.
The Presidency disclosed this in a statement on Monday after President Buhari expressed optimism at the Climate Change Summit, COP 26, side event on the Great Green Wall (GGW), on Monday in Glasgow, Scotland, speaking at an event themed: “Accelerating land restoration in Africa, the case of the Great Green Wall initiative.”
Buhari added that the meeting was beneficial towards improving climate standards needed to improve land degradation, desertification, and depletion of the forest ecosystems in Africa.
What President Buhari said
“With all hands on deck and concerted efforts at land restoration by African leaders, I am optimistic that Africa’s ambition of restoring over 100 million hectares of degraded landscape for productive agriculture is achievable.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to inform you that Nigeria will soon be assuming the leadership of Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall.
“Nigeria pledges her unalloyed commitment to expanding the achievements of the GGW programme in Africa from the enviable status attained under the leadership of His Excellency, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
“Together we commit to the transformative process of restoring the African degraded landscape and ultimately the continent’s environment,” Buhari said.
He added that major outcomes of the fourth edition of the One Planet Summit on Biodiversity, organized by the French Government in Paris, France on January 11, 2021, was the pledge of 19.6 billion dollars by the coalition of international communities to upscale the implementation of the Great Green Wall Initiative in Africa.
President Buhari stated also that since the pledges by the financial partners, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification has continued to give technical backstopping to the Pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall through the establishment of the Great Green Wall Accelerator for the 2021- 2030 Decennial Priority Investment Plan of the Great Green Wall programme.
“This is to fast-track the implementation process with the prime purpose of translating the pledged financial resources of 19.681Billion United States Dollars into hectares of land restoration and other livelihood improvements at various country levels,” he said.
He added that Nigeria participated in the land restoration initiative, in drafting and harmonizing the Results Framework for the Accelerator with five cardinal pillars to address the 2021- 2030 Decennial Priority Investment Plan ambition of the Great Green Wall, citing five major roles including the restoration of 100 million hectares of degraded land; sequestration of 250 million tonnes of carbon; creation of 10 million green jobs; resilient economic development in the various Member States as well as capacity strengthening and development.
President Buhari also revealed that Nigeria’s approach to addressing the physical and socio-economic aspects and effects of desertification, drought and climate change would prioritise the education of local communities and the use of technology.
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