Minister of Environment Receives Great Green Wall Agency Delegation on Land Restoration, Climate Resilience and Community Development in Support of the Renewed Hope Agenda of his Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, received a delegation from the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) led by its Director-General/CEO, Saleh Abubakar MFR, who presented the agency’s work plan and progress report covering activities from 2023 to date.
During the meeting, the delegation highlighted the vision, mission, and mandate of the Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI), which aims to restore degraded lands, combat desertification, conserve biodiversity, and strengthen the resilience of communities affected by climate change across Nigeria’s dryland regions.
Nigeria is one of the 11 African countries that signed the GGW Convention in 2010 and began implementation in 2013.
According to the agency, about 43% of Nigeria’s landmass is threatened by desertification, with approximately 2,168 square kilometers of farmland and rangeland lost annually. This environmental challenge threatens the livelihoods of more than 40 million people, particularly in northern Nigeria.
The agency reported significant progress between 2023 and 2025 across frontline states including Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe, Borno, Kano, Bauchi, Adamawa, and Gombe. Over this period, millions of tree seedlings were planted, about 669.5 kilometers of shelterbelts were established, and more than 1,200 hectares of land were restored to improve vegetation cover and local livelihoods. In addition, 869,089 date palm seedlings were distributed to farmers and state governments to promote climate-resilient agriculture.
The NAGGW also implemented several community-based initiatives such as the construction of solar-powered and motorized boreholes, installation of rural solar street lights, and training programs for women and youth in livestock production, tailoring, beekeeping, poultry farming, and neem processing. These programs are aimed at improving livelihoods while supporting environmental restoration.
Looking ahead to 2026, the agency outlined an ambitious operational plan that includes restoring more than 10,000 hectares of forest land, rehabilitating 3,500 hectares of agricultural land, developing pasture ranges, and installing thousands of solar-powered boreholes and streetlights. The plan also targets the creation of climate-smart villages, green jobs, and new community agricultural projects to strengthen rural economies.
Despite these achievements, the agency acknowledged several challenges, including funding delays, insecurity in some operational areas, vandalism of infrastructure, and outstanding statutory contributions to the Pan-African Great Green Wall program.
Moving forward, the agency plans to expand restoration efforts through date palm plantations, strengthen partnerships with international organizations such as United Nations Environment Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization, review the National Strategic Action Plan, and scale up community engagement and advocacy.
The presentation reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to restoring degraded ecosystems, combating desertification, and improving the livelihoods of communities in Nigeria’s dryland regions through the Great Green Wall Initiative.
