Experts advocate implementation of GGWI to address emerging climate change risks
The Director General/CEO of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, Dr Yusuf Maina Bukar, has emphasised the importance of effective implementation of the Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) at regional and national levels to address the impact of emerging climate change risks.
Maina Bukar said this during the meeting of the Technical Committee of Experts for the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW), held on 23rd November 2023, at the Barcelona Hotel in Wuse Zone II, Abuja, Nigeria.
His remarks came as part of the 9th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of the PAGGW member countries, which was attended by notable personalities such as the Executive Secretary of the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall, Dr. Brahim Said; the Commissioner, African Union Commission in Charge of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Madam Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko; the Representative of the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Ms. Louise Baker; the Representative of the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Mallam Adamou Bouhari, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako; the Honourable Minister of State for Environment and other representatives of technical and financial partners, as well as distinguished focal points of national structures.
Bukar acknowledged the efforts and commitments of all attendees to the implementation process of the GGWI, which aims to address the impact of emerging climate change risks within and near the Great Green Wall corridor.
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He expressed his optimism that the submission of the technical report of the Technical Committee of Experts would provide guidance for the Council’s deliberations.
In a separate opening speech at the same event, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Environment, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, emphasized the importance of technology and expertise in addressing major crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
Salako encouraged the participants to engage wholeheartedly in the discussions, challenge assumptions, and contribute boldly to the dialogue.
He urged the experts to ensure that their recommendations were evidence-based, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, as the Council of Ministers of the Pan-Africa Agency of the Great Green Wall would be relying heavily on their guidance.
The Executive Secretary of the Pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall, Brahim Said, delivered an address thanking Nigeria for hosting the event and commending all those involved in the implementation of the initiative.
Said acknowledged the growing interest from the international community and the importance of securing resources to tackle the effects of climate change, land degradation, and the loss of biodiversity.
He also highlighted the challenges posed by security issues in some regions and called for their resolution to benefit local populations.
During the meeting, the Experts reviewed the achievements of the past year and planned activities for the coming year, discussing financial operations and the need for Member States to contribute sufficiently to the initiative.
Said proposed major elements, including the formulation of the Multi-State Integration Programme, which is being finalised with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
He also emphasized the importance of functional relations between structures to ensure coordination and active participation from all stakeholders.
Said concluded his address by thanking the Experts for their efforts and achievements and by acknowledging the support of technical and financial partners.
He called for future statutory meetings to be held in a consensus-building manner.
