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The pan-African agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW) has expressed its commitment to restore and sustainably manage land in the Sahara and the Sahel region to address land degradation, climate change and erosion of biodiversity.
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The agency made the pledge at the 9th Ordinary Council of Ministers in Abuja, saying, the initiative has gained momentum, given the interest shown by the international community and considering the commitment of countries mobilising, financing projects, that require much greater resources.
Eleven countries in the region – Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan are participating in the initiative, and in 2010 they established an agency to coordinate its implementation and support resources mobilisation.
Executive Secretary, Dr. Brahim Said, in a speech, noted that the effects of climate change has made it difficult and tasking, to encourage the countries that have launched their integrative programme to continue the execution.
The Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Iziaq Salako, who declared the council open, stated that this marks collective pursuit of knowledge, innovation, and progress in the efforts to arrest desertification, land degradation and increase the arable land in Sahel and Sahara regions of Africa.
Salako noted, “In the realm of technology and expertise, we find ourselves at the crossroads of higher possibilities and greater responsibilities. The world is evolving at an unprecedented pace with the major crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
The minister said: “In our pursuit of technical excellence, we must recognise that our collective strength lies in our ability to learn from one another, to draw inspiration from diverse perspectives, and to work collaboratively towards common goals.”
The Director General, National Agency for the Great Green Wall, Dr. Yusuf Bukar, said the commitment to address impact of emerging climate change risks within the corridor implies that efforts must be geared towards effective implementation of the GGW at regional and national levels.
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