President Muhammadu Buhari has charged the World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB) to activate the $19 billion pledge, meant for land restoration, tree planting, development of climate resilience infrastructure and investments in small- and medium-sized farms.
The president, while calling on development partners to support the One Planet Summit initiative, also underscored the importance of recharging Lake Chad, now down to 10 per cent of its water volume, as 11 Sahel nations discussed ways and means of accessing the $19 billion pledged by donors for the activities of the Pan African Great Green Wall Agency (PAGGW).
Speaking yesterday in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, at a side event he convened at the ongoing UN Conference of Parties, COP15, in his capacity as the president of the Conference of Heads of State and Governments of the member states of the PAGGW, Buhari said the fund would also support smallholder farmers, create an 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,” said Buhari.
“There is, therefore, an urgent need to confront these challenges associated with desert encroachment and drought,” he added.
The president explained that the inter-basin transfer of water from Central Africa to the Lake Chad should be taken seriously, asking 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.
The president canvassed more support for The One Planet Summit initiative and the political will to actualise the mandate.
“It is on this note that, on behalf of member states, I welcome The One Planet Summit Initiative that pledges $19 billion to support the activities of the PAGGW, which necessitated this very important engagement with you this morning,” stressed Buhari.
“I, therefore, call on you, especially the World Bank, African Development Bank and the One Planet Summit Initiative, to support this drive.”
The president also called on the multilateral institutions to set up a task team to work with PAGGW.
Also speaking, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed described the meeting as, “a new era in the Great Green Wall programme” and demanded from the agency, the 11 African nations, and the group of donors under the One Planet Summit to be proactive.
