The Federal Government has relocated the operational headquarters of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, NAGGW, from Abuja to Kano State as part of efforts to strengthen the implementation of environmental projects across northern Nigeria.
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by the ministry’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Ibrahim Haruna.
Lawal said the relocation is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and is aimed at improving the agency’s operational efficiency in delivering the Great Green Wall Programme across the affected states.
According to him, the initiative, which is backed by the African Union and involves more than 11 countries, was established to combat desertification, land degradation and the effects of climate change across the Sahel-Sahara region.
He explained that the programme is designed to develop a 15-kilometre-wide and 1,500-kilometre-long green belt to promote environmental sustainability, enhance food security and improve rural livelihoods.
The minister said the programme currently covers 11 frontline states, including Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.
Lawal noted that since its establishment in 2013 and subsequent upgrade to a full-fledged agency in 2015, the agency has recorded notable achievements.
According to him, these include the establishment of more than 100 shelterbelts, construction of 159 solar and wind-powered boreholes, engagement of 600 youth forest guards, and the development of 240 hectares of orchards and woodlots.
The minister said relocating the headquarters to Kano would address operational challenges associated with running the agency from a rented facility in Abuja, which is located far from the project areas.
“By moving to a permanent location in Kano, a central hub within the operational zone, the agency will achieve better monitoring, stronger coordination with state governments and communities, and improved service delivery,” he said.
Lawal added that the Afforestation Programme Coordinating Unit complex in Kano, constructed in 1988, would now serve as the agency’s permanent headquarters.
He further stated that the decision reflects the Federal Government’s policy of situating agencies closer to their areas of operation in order to improve efficiency and bring governance closer to the people.
