The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has reaffirmed its commitment to restoring degraded ecosystems and strengthening livelihoods across Africa’s drylands.
This follows the launch of the Scaling-Up Resilience in Africa’s Great Green Wall Area (SURAGGWA) project in Abuja on Friday.
FAO Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Hussein Gadain, said the initiative is supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
He said it aims to promote climate-smart agriculture and sustainable land use practices across eight countries within the Great Green Wall region.
He said the project would be implemented in collaboration with the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), and the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscape project.
According to him, the Federal Ministry of Environment and relevant commissions will provide oversight, while FAO will lead implementation alongside ministries, technical agencies, and development partners.
Gadain explained that each participating country will establish a Country Implementation Unit for day-to-day coordination, with FAO providing technical support and guidance.
He added that at the regional level, a Programme Steering Committee will operate under the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW) to ensure strategic alignment and coordination.
The initiative will also establish National Steering Committees in all eight countries; Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal to monitor project delivery.
Minister of Environment, Mr Balarabe Lawal, said the SURAGGWA project was a step in the right direction toward restoring degraded lands and promoting low-emission value chains.
He said the project reflects the Federal Government’s determination to build a greener, safer, and more prosperous Nigeria under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Lawal explained that Nigeria remains the largest beneficiary, with about 1.9 million people expected to benefit directly from interventions promoting climate resilience and inclusive green growth.
He emphasised that collective action among government agencies, civil society, and private partners was crucial to transforming the Great Green Wall into a symbol of resilience and hope.
Earlier, Director-General of the NAGGW, Dr Yusuf Bukar, commended FAO for its leadership, noting that SURAGGWA aligns perfectly with Nigeria’s restoration and livelihood improvement mandate.
He said the agency would continue to provide field presence and institutional support to ensure tangible benefits for communities and landscapes across affected regions.
Bukar added that NAGGW was establishing community-based nurseries, empowering women and youths, and promoting climate-smart livelihoods to ensure long-term sustainability.
He said the programme is expected to benefit nearly 8.7 million people across Africa’s drylands by enhancing ecosystem services and fostering inclusive growth.
Lawal added that the initiative would strengthen national and regional institutions for sustainable coordination while promoting non-timber forest product value chains for improved livelihoods.
The Great Green Wall initiative, launched by the African Union in 2007, seeks to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land, sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon, and create 10 million green jobs by 2030.
