…Urges other members of PAGGW to do same
President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged about $550,000 to the building of the Great Green Wall Secretariat and has asked other member countries to do the same by contributing to the cause.
He made this statement while presiding over the conference of heads of states and governments of pan-African Great Green Wall member states at the flag-off of the national tree-planting campaign on the margin of the 8th ordinary session of the council of ministers of the pan-African Agency of the Great Wall (PAGGW) in Abuja, yesterday.
Buhari commended the executive secretary of the committee, Dr. Brahim Said, and his commitment to stirring the secretariat of the pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall with the articulated and focused decennial priority investment plan (DPIP) 2021 – 2030.
DPIP which has been aligned to global environmental issues would address an integrated, multi-sectoral and inclusive approach that needs high-level support for effective implementation.
The president said the agency intends I build a climate-resilient economy that will effectively align with the SDGs and will have great potential to unlock opportunities in different sectors of the economy while protecting the resources for present and future generations.
“I must commend the current initiatives by the international technical and financial partners/institutions for pledging financial resources to support the implementation of the Great Green Wall Initiative. The early disbursement of the pledged resources without stringent conditionalities would indeed see the transformation of our degraded ecosystems. I, therefore, in my capacity as the President of the Conference of Heads of States and Government of Member States, direct the Honourable Minister of Finance of Nigeria to lead the initiative to access the funds pledged by our partners under the Great Green Wall Accelerator. The minister should take appropriate states in line with the understanding we had at the Abidjan side meeting held on 9th May 2022.
“Finally, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in fulfilment of Nigeria’s pledge to support the PAGGW, I hereby direct the Federal Ministry of Environment to coordinate the release of the following vehicles for the use of the PAGGW Secretariat and allied agencies Prado jeeps and a pick-up van. Having also fulfilled the payment of our outstanding contribution of about $654,291,000 only, I am also glad to pledge the sum of $550,000 only as our contribution to the building of the Great Green Wall Secretariat. I call on other member countries to follow suit by contributing towards the building of a befitting office for the PAGGW,” he said.
