The National Agency for the Great Green Wall, NAGGW, with the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari is to access the 15 percent ecological and natural resource development fund for execution of its programmes and projects across the country.
Bukar Hassan, the director general/ CEO NAGGW disclosed this on Monday, December 30, 2019, at the first stakeholders consultative forum of the National Alliance for Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative with the theme ‘Transforming the Drylands of Nigeria’ programmes and implementation in Abuja.
According to him: “The National Agency for the Great Green Wall, NAGGW, has restated its commitment towards improving livelihood of over 20 million people by the year 2030. Within same period, about 22,500sqkm of degraded land in the dry region of the country will be rehabilitated.
“The agency is also engaged in Baseline Studies and Environmental Impact Assessment, Community Mobilisation, Sensitisation and Awareness Campaign; Afforestation and Land Management; Promotion of Alternative Livelihoods; Rural Infrastructure; FAO Supported Action Against Desertification Project; and Employment Generation.
“These ongoing programme/projects include, “Ecological restoration and rehabilitation to enhance the livelihoods of the affected communities and strengthen their resilient to climate change, Promotion of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices to enhance food security and climate change adaptation,
“Improvement of critical rural infrastructure for enhanced socioeconomic development; Promotion of alternative and efficient sources of rural energy to reduce deforestation and combat climate change, women and youth empowerment and promotion of alternative livelihoods to reduce rural unemployment, social conflicts, forced migration and rural poverty; Review and update of baseline information and establishment of functional Database on drought sand desertification in Nigeria, Renovation of Afforestation Programme Coordinating Unit, APCU, facility in Kano (Second phase); Development of GGW extension services strategy and structures.
“The Strengthening of the existing GIS laboratory for data analysis, Public awareness and mobilization campaigns, Support for research and development, Installation of automatic weather stations for real time data collection and informed decision making, Establishment of Community Plant Nurseries for the production of tree seedlings.
“Others are: Recruitment of Forest Guards, Rangeland restoration and development to reduce farmers-herders’ conflict and enhance livestock production in line with Government policy, Fixation of active sand dunes and oasis Rehabilitation, and Trade and capacity building of local communities on natural resources management amongst others activities”.
Hassan identified some of the challenges being faced in the execution of its activities to include insecurity in some states in the dry lands, vandalisation of field investments by thieves and other hoodlums, poor community participation, lack of financial contribution from States for the programme implementation, inadequate availability of land in some states for project implementation, and Weak institutional capacity, particularly at state, local and community levels.
On the way forward, the DG suggested provision of counterpart funding by participating states, establishment of inter-ministerial technical committee to enhance synergy and technical support, provision of land by states for project implementation, enhancing collaboration with development partners to improve funding.
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