The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) has emerged as President of the Great Green Wall Initiative in Africa.

Minister of State for Environment, Chief Sharon Ikeazor, who announced this at the end of the 4th Ordinary Session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government, also stated that Nigeria has taken over the Presidency of the Great Green Wall in Africa for the next two years.

She was quoted in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Director Press, Federal Ministry of Environment, Saghir Mohammed, as saying, “At the end of the 4th Ordinary Session of the CHSG, Nigeria took over the Presidency of the PAGGW.

“So for the next two years, Nigeria and President Buhari will be the President of the Great Green Wall Initiative in Africa.

“This means that within the period, Nigeria will work assiduously towards addressing the problems of land degradation, food security, desertification, climate change, depletion of the forest ecosystems and biodiversity in Africa, among others.”

Ikeazor expressed optimism that with the commitment of the President on addressing issues of climate change and desertification, a lot would be achieved during his tenure.

She stated that last month in Glasgow, Scotland, Buhari spoke about Africa’s ambition to restore over 100 million hectares of the degraded landscape for productive agriculture.

The statement stated that in the President’s acceptance speech of the PAGGW leadership, he said, “All things being equal, we shall strengthen our efforts in the mobilization of resources for the accelerated accomplishment of the Decennial Priority Investment Plan 2021-2030 and its concrete implementation.”

He stressed that the realization of financial pledges that emerged as an outcome of the ‘One Planet Summit held in January 2021 in Paris, would be given utmost priority.

Buhari pledged that the restoration of Africa’s degraded ecosystems and ensuring the resilience of Africans against climate change effects shall be strengthened.

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