The Nigerian government has said that desertification and land degradation have impacted the livelihoods of over 40 million Nigerians and affected 43 percent of the country’s landmass.
Balarabe Lawal, who is the minister of environment, made this known during a national dialogue held in Abuja to commemorate the 2025 World Desertification and Drought Day (WDD).
The event, which had as its themed “Restore the Land: Unlock the Opportunities”, was organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), had the support from the federal ministry of environment.
Lawal, who was represented by Mahmud Kambari, the ministry’s permanent secretary, described land degradation as a global crisis and warned that it threatens food security.
He noted that dry land degradation has resulted in the loss of 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil globally.
Citing the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the minister said more than two million hectares of land are lost annually to desertification, land degradation, and drought.
Read also: UN agency says deadly floods show need for faster, wider warnings
“In spite of this, it is estimated that 300 million hectares of land will be required to meet food demand by the year 2030,” he said.
The minister added that investing in sustainable land management practices was critical to address broader challenges such as economic hardship, water scarcity, and climate change.
Lawal said the government had developed institutions, policies, and action plans to address desertification and related threats.
Also speaking, Regina Nwaneri, director of the department of desertification, land degradation and drought management, said Nigeria remained committed to its obligations under the UNCCD.
Nwaneri said the scale of current land restoration efforts was not enough to meet urgent needs, citing UN estimates that $1 billion is needed daily from 2025 to 2030 to tackle the crisis.
Story was adapted from TheCable.
