Mobilising Nigerians to check desertification

The pan-African Great Green Wall programme was originally presented to the African Union by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005 with the aim of addressing one of the continents modern day challenges, desertification. Desertification affects millions of the most vulnerable people in Africa, where two-thirds of the land cover consists of drylands and deserts. Contrary […]

The pan-African Great Green Wall programme was originally presented to the African Union by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005 with the aim of addressing one of the continents modern day challenges, desertification.

Desertification affects millions of the most vulnerable people in Africa, where two-thirds of the land cover consists of drylands and deserts. Contrary to popular perception, desertification is not the loss of land to the desert or through sand-dune movement. Desertification refers to land degradation in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas resulting from factors such as human pressure on fragile eco-systems, deforestation and climate change.

Desertification and land degradation have a strong negative impact on the food security and livelihoods of the local communities in Africa’s drylands, home to the world’s poorest population.

In 2007, African Heads of State and Government endorsed the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative with the objective of tackling the detrimental social, economic and environmental impacts of land degradation and desertification in the region.

The initiative aims to support the efforts of local communities in the sustainable management and use of forests, rangelands and other natural resources in drylands.

It also seeks to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as improve the food security and livelihoods of the people in the Sahel and the Sahara.

The Coming of GGW:

Several attempts were made in the past to start the Nigerian component of the project but these efforts suffered series of setbacks until the current administration established the GGW Programme Implementation Unit under the Ministry of Environment which later metamorphosed into an interim agency in October 2014 known as the Interim National Agency for Great Green Wall.

Since the idea was endorsed by the African Union (AU), participating countries such as Senegal had established a dedicated agency to the project and the agency had become a flagship one for other countries such as Nigeria to emulate.

Inaugurating the project in Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan said that using both economic and forest tree species to be based on community-driven, integrated rural development approach was agreed for the Nigeria segment.

“The idea is that the project will principally check the advancement of desertification and erosion as well as restore eco-balance even as it creates sustainable jobs for thousands of our youths who are without jobs,” Jonathan said.

According to him, the initiative undoubtedly presents Nigeria a great opportunity to advance the vision of a green pathway for human development, and address new and emerging environmental challenges in our country. “Desertification is one of the greatest environmental and developmental problems of the 21st century. This ecological problem can trigger a vicious circle of environmental degradation, impoverishment, forced migration and conflicts, often threatening the political stability of affected countries and regions.

The President was optimistic that waging an effective fight against the spread of desertification was one of the greatest challenges in development politics today.

Participating states

“In Nigeria, the worst environmental changes brought about by desertification mostly occur in eleven frontline states of Adamawa, Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara,” he added.

Mrs Laurentica Mallam, Minister of Environment noted that the GGW programme marks a turning point in the nation’s collective quest to sustainably conserve and manage her delicate dry land environment as well as improve the living conditions of the people.

According to the minister, “As far back as 1993 a report indicated that 43.3 per cent of the total land area in Nigeria was prone to desertification with the frontline states facing the greatest hazards. On the other hand the rate of desertification was high with attendant destructions of farm lands and livelihood particularly in the affected states. Drought and desertification are the core serious challenges that cause serious threats facing sustainable development particularly in Africa. It is estimated that two third of African land is degraded affecting at least 485million people or 65 per cent of the entire African population.”

The project

The Great Green Wall Programme is 7,775km long and 15km wide of transcontinental forest belt extending across 11 countries from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east, the participating countries include Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan.

The Nigerian Great Green Wall Programme which is being implemented as a contiguous Green belt of 1500km long and 15km wide stretching from Kebbi State in the North west to Borno State in the North east.

National Strategic Action Plan for the implementation of the programme as well as work plan and budget for three years to effectively implement the programme has already been approved.

What needs to be done

The project involves sensitization and community mobilization; procurement of assorted seedlings and establishment of shelterbelt; establishment of community orchards and nurseries; provision of water boreholes in participating communities, farmer managed natural regeneration projects to promote agroforestry and improve soil productivity.

Who benefits

The project is expected to rehabilitate over 225,000ha of degraded land, enhance food security, reduce rural poverty and generate employment opportunities for the people, especially women and youth of 138 communities in 46 local government areas.

Mr Goni Ahmed, National Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Great Green Wall since assumption of duties in October 2014 had undertaken interactive sessions with various stakeholders mobilising them to embrace the project.

According to him, environmental setbacks such as desertification and flooding are some of the major issues preventing socio-economic growth in the Northern part of the country, which has increased poverty in the region.