The Nigeria government has promised to upscale its economic tree planting campaign as part of measures to fight desertification and control climate change.
Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, made this known while inspecting viable environmental protection projects which were executed by the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NGGW), in Gabasawa, Kano State.
The minister said that under President Muhammadu Buhari, the Federal Government had adopted proactive measures to reduce greenhouse emissions through the planting of more economic trees.
She explained that the NAGGW project would invest more on planting economic trees for the benefit of the desert prone communities and the country at large as well as provide sustainable livelihood to the people.
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She maintained that the establishment of woodlots was one of the critical interventions under the NAGGW project, adding that the programme would be replicated in more states across the country.
“The NAGGW projects were of utmost importance to the Federal Ministry of Environment aimed at combating desertification in the 11 frontline states of the Sahel region,” she said.
She further noted that the aim of the project was not only to improve the livelihood of the people but to also protect biodiversity and increase national forest cover, adding that the FG was eternally committed to encouraging the development of alternative sources of energy to provide cleaner cooking fuel and discourage felling of trees for fuelwood.
Story was adapted from Environnews Nigeria.
