President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB) and other partners to support the One Planet Summit initiative and activate the $19 billion pledge.
He said the pledge, meant for the activities of the Pan African Great Green Wall Agency (PAGGW), would be utilized for land restoration, tree planting, development of climate resilience infrastructure and investments in small and medium-sized farms in the 11 Sahel African states.
The President’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement yesterday said Buhari made the charge on the side line of the ongoing UN Conference of Parties, COP15 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
Shehu said the meeting was President Buhari’s first assignment at the PAGGW Conference of Heads of State and Government following his election to head the institution in December last year.
As the President of the Conference of Heads of State and Governments of the member states of the PAGGW, Buhari said: “The inter basin transfer of water from Central Africa to the Lake Chad should be taken seriously,” as it is now down to 10% of its water volume.
He asked the secretariat of the Agency, funders and the soon-to-be appointed consultant to carry out the measure as a way of restoring the socio-economy of the more than 30 million people of the Lake Chad basin area.
“As it is at the moment, the drying up of the Lake Chad has destroyed fish farming, animal husbandry and crop agriculture, leading to social and economic dislocation with serious consequences for peace in the basin area.
“This has led to migration to Europe by many, creating problems for you over there. These should engage your attention as a committee,” he said.
At the select meeting, which included International/Development Partners, Buhari said the $19 billion pledged fund would also support small holder farmers, create institutional framework to enhance security, stability and governance, and capacity building.
“All of you may wish to know that, in December 2021, I was elected to lead and drive the Agenda of the PAGGW bloc for the next two years.
“This bloc, which includes Nigeria, Senegal, Niger, Sudan, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Mali, Eritrea, Djibouti, Burkina Faso and Chad, is facing dire and present danger due to the devastating effect of desertification and drought which is impacting negatively on the security of our communities and the livelihood of our people.
“There is therefore an urgent need to confront these challenges associated with desert encroachment and drought,” he said.
As it is at the moment, the drying up of Lake Chad has destroyed fish farming, animal husbandry and crop agriculture, leading to social and economic dislocation with serious consequences for peace in the basin area.
Utilizing GGW Accelerator
Buhari reminded that the purpose of the meeting is to draw donors’ attention and support to this pledge and to trigger the process for accessing the funding by utilizing the GGW Accelerator window.
This is mainly to address the following: “Land restoration and tree planting, investment in small and medium sized farms/support to small holder farmers, develop climate resilience infrastructure, and institutional framework to enhance security, stability and governance, and capacity building.”
He also called on the partners, particularly the United Nations Conference to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and One Planet Summit to advise on a suitable Financial Consultant for the PAGGW that can coordinate the process in a transparent manner.
He expressed the hope that the parties will give maximum cooperation in this regard and make good their pledge to support Africa’s drive to addressing these climate challenges.
Governments should focus on land restoration, put in place the digital backbone to connect farmers with markets and ensure that the programmes and activities of the PAGGW were well rooted in individual national plans.
Governance structure
In her remark, the Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, who represented the United Nations, described the meeting as “a new era in the Great Green Wall programme.”
She enjoined the Agency, the 11 African nations involved as well as the group of donors under One Planet Summit to move proactively “with scale and urgency” to set up government governance structure.
She also demanded that they should focus on land restoration, put in place the digital backbone to connect farmers with markets and ensure that the programmes and activities of the PAGGW were well rooted in individual national plans.
Mohammed advised countries to include the One Planet initiative in their national plans, and not treat it as an added-on development project.
She said the initiative must “align and adhere’’ to the priority of top national development plans in order to succeed.
The Executive Secretary, UNCCD, Ibrahim Thiaw, described the coming together of Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti as “a great inspiration”.
He expressed the hope that the $19 billion pledged at the One Planet Summit in Paris in 2021 would “turn the dollars into hectares.”