Climate
By Abigael Joshua
The Federal Government is taking proactive measures to tackle climate-induced hazards in the country.
Mr Saleh Abubakar, the Director- General of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the federal government has launched the Anticipatory Action Framework on Floods, to mitigate disasters impacting over five million people.
This is in view of the technical consultation meeting on the New African Union Great Green Wall Strategy and Its 10-year Implementation Framework 2024 -2034 in Dakar, Senegal.
Saleh stated that with significant efforts the agency is making to combat climate-induced hazards and ecosystems, and resistant to climate change, other countries would soon begin to look up to Nigeria as a global model.
NAN reports that the three-day event, which started March 24, was convened under the leadership of the AU and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and supported by the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW).
It’s focus is to strengthen both the institutional arrangements and strategic direction of the Great Green Wall (GGW) Initiative.
The DG stated that the ongoing efforts by the agency to combat land degradation in affected communities and enhance food security in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu was already paying off.
He said NAGGW was gradually reducing climate-induced hazards through extensive afforestation, solar-powered boreholes, and sustainable land management in the 11 frontline Northern Nigerian states of Borno, Yobe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi, Gombe, and Adamawa.
He said that while the federal government is making “significant progress under the GGW initiative in restoring degraded lands, reforestation, and empowering communities, other countries would soon begin to tap from the nation’s model for international cooperation.”
“On the significance of the technical consultation meeting on the New AU Great Green Wall Strategy, Saleh expressed optimism that with its 10-year implementation framework, the consultation will ginger commitments and reasonable action against desertification and climate change across the African continent.
He said, “The meeting focused on strengthening both the institutional arrangements and strategic direction of GGW Initiative”.
Saleh commended the speakers at the meeting for highlighting the urgency to scale up efforts to combat desertification, restore degraded land, and build resilience across Africa’s dryland regions.
“We had detailed discussions on the AU updated strategy for GGW, with a focus on strengthening coordination and driving collective action across member states.
“There were clarifications on the roles and responsibilities of various institutions, helping to ensure a shared understanding of how stakeholders can effectively contribute to the implementation.
“The meeting laid a solid foundation for improved coordination, stronger strategic alignment, and renewed commitment to achieving the goals of the GGW Initiative,” the d-g said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Sadiya Hamza
