By Hillary Asemota
The Federal Government on Tuesday tasked the 11 member nations of the Pan African Great Green Wall Initiative (PAGGW) to develop strategic framework and mobilization of financial resources for the implementation of action plan against environmental challenges in the region.
The 11 eleven member nations comprised of Mauritania, Senegal Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Chad, Sudan, Niger and Nigeria as members.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari who doubles as Head of the regional body has been driving it since 2021 and it is for 2 terms.
Speaking at its 8 Ordinary Session of Technical Meeting of Ministers from the 11 member nations in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Engr. Hassan Musa, acknowledged that the body has concentrated efforts on: “The establishment and consolidation of the institutional, legal and organizational bases of the regional and national structures.
“The development of a strategic framework and implementation action plan and the mobilization of financial resources.”
The Permanent Secretary, who was represented by the Director of Press and Communications in the Ministry, Mr. Saghir el Mohammed, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government and President Muhammadu Buhari for the reaffirmation of its commitment to the implementation of the Great Green Wall action plan.
Hassan, said the commitment testifies to its leadership at the African level but also symbolizes the solidarity, the great confidence and the recognition that members are showing for the success of the regional project.
He said: “I would also like to thank the Minister of Environment, Barr. Mohamed Abdullahi, who is the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall having facilitated the holding of the 8th ordinary session through all the facilities offered to all the participants.
The Permanent Secretary, said: “The Great Green Wall initiative is and remains one of them for us, the African States of the Sahara-Sahelian strip, and for the entire world.
“This initiative is both a challenge and an opportunity, given the multiple environmental and ecological issues that are becoming increasingly important and that demonstrate the need for a pooling of resources and joint efforts by countries without which we cannot succeed individually.
“The GGW initiative is one of the most ambitious cooperation tools for solving the environmental challenges of the Sahelian strip, by the people and for the people at the grassroots, is its slogan.”
According to him, the body was established on 17 June 2010 in N’Djamena, Chad, and has just completed its first decade 2010-2020, adding that the analysis of this five-year period highlights a set of achievements and constraints that need to be addressed.
“The effectiveness of the achievements is linked to the significant efforts of our countries with limited means but with tangible results in the areas of restoration, development, management and conservation of natural resources as well as income generating activities for the benefit of the communities at the grassroots level through the Integrated Community Agricultural Farms, true models of local development, to varying degrees in all the Member States.
“Based on the constraints observed, the main constraint is the mobilization of both internal and external resources.
“On the threshold of the 2nd decade 2021-2030, the orientations take into account the acceleration of interventions, the consolidation and strengthening of these achievements.
“The overall objective will be to be a decisive step in the operationalization of the GGW through concrete achievements with high added value and a perfect visibility on the populations and a significant contribution in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“For this meeting of the Technical Committee of Experts, various documents are submitted for your consideration. In this context, I urge you to treat them with diligence and make proposals that will facilitate decision-making by the Council of Ministers.” He said.