The federal Ministry of Environment has flagged off the 2026 tree planting activities to mark the fourth Great Green Wall Day, GWW.
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, launched the exercise at the headquarters of National Agency for the Great Green Wall, NAGWW, in Kano on Thursday.
He also inaugurated the National Steering Committee for the Scaling-Up Resilience in Africa’s Great Green Wall, SURAGGWA, Project.
The theme of this year’s campaign is “The Green Shield: Restoring Landscapes to Silence the Sand and Dust Storms,”
BizPoint reports that the Great Green Wall Initiative was conceived as Africa’s flagship response to desertification and climate change across 11 frontline states including Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe & Zamfara states.
Speaking while declaring the event open, Mr Lawal said the them reflects one of the greatest environmental challenges confronting Northern Nigeria and wider Sahel.
According to him, regional Africa sand and dust storms are increasing in frequency and intensity, threatening agriculture, public health, biodiversity, infrastructure, and livelihoods.
Mr Lawal noted that in Nigeria, the vision of Great Green Wall goes beyond planting trees, it is about strengthening food security, and building climate-resilient communities across the eleven frontline states.
The Minister disclosed that the NAGGW headquarters was moved to Kano from Abuja In recognition of the state’s strategic role as one of the frontline states in the implementation of the initiative.
“In Nigeria, this vision goes beyond planting trees. It is about restoring degraded land, conserving biodiversity, improving livelihoods, strengthening food security, and building climate-resilient communities across the eleven frontline states Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe & Zamfara States.
“In recognition of Kano State’s strategic role as one of the frontline states in the implementation of the Great Green Wall Initiative, the Federal Government relocated the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) Headquarters to Kano State, which we are commissioning today.
“Today’s flag-off of the Tree Planting activities therefore represents more than an annual exercise. It is a renewed national commitment to restore our environment, protect our communities, and secure a sustainable future for generations to come,” the Minister said.
He said since its establishment, the National Agency for the Great Green Wall had implemented environmental restoration projects that have delivered tangible results.
He therefore urged the governors of the 11 frontline states, local government authorities and all stakeholders to join and ensure the success of the campaign.
In his remarks earlier, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the NAGGW, Saleh Abubakar said the agency had recorded remarkable achievements in environmental restoration and sustainable development across the frontline states.
Highlighting the achievements of the NAGGW, Mr Abubakar said the agency had raised over 48 million indigenous tree seedlings, established 5,480.88 hectares of shelterbelts, 1,613.2 hectares of community woodlots, 1,128 hectares of orchards, 990 hectares of Acacia plantations and 800 hectares of degraded land restoration sites.
According to him, the agency had also established 606 hectares of social forestry, 965 hectares of institutional planting, 350 hectares of farm forestry, and 779 hectares of indigenous tree plantations.
Additionally, the DG said, over 10.8 million drought-resistant seedlings and 869,089 date palm seedlings had been distributed to farmers to promote agroforestry, enhance food security, and improve rural incomes.
” The Agency has also restored 155 hectares of degraded sand dunes to productive farmland and established banana plantations across Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Jigawa, and Yobe States.
“In the area of renewable energy and rural infrastructure, the Agency has distributed 4,879 solar home systems, 6,300 fuel-efficient cookstoves, and 128 solar-powered irrigation pumps, while providing 430 solar-powered boreholes, 363 motorized boreholes, 110 tube wells, 71 community nurseries, skills acquisition centres.
“These achievements and the relocation of the Agency’s Headquarters to Kano State reflect the Federal Government’s commitment to environmental restoration and sustainable livelihoods in Northern Nigeria,” he added.
The governor of Kano state, Abba Yusuf, in his remarks, commended President Bola Tinubu for the relocation of the NAGGW headquarters to the state.
Mr Yusuf said the decision reflects the strategic importance of Kano in advancing Nigeria’s environmental and climate agenda. a
The governor, represented by the Kano Commissioner for Environment, Water and Climate Change, Dr Dahir M Hashim, said the initiatives of the NAGGW had promoted large-scale afforestation by planting trees and establishing shelterbelts and windbreaks to reduce desert encroachment in the state.
According to him, NAGWW had facilitated training of farmers and local communities in sustainable land management and climate-smart agricultural practices, while its livelihood support programs had empowered women, youth, and vulnerable households by providing small ruminants, agro-processing equipment, and other productive assets to strengthen rural economies.
Mr Hashim disclosed that the agency had also provided invaluable institutional support to Kano State in implementing the Great Green Wall Initiative.
” Most recently, it donated 500,000 date palm seedlings to the Kano State Government through the Ministry of Environment for planting across suitable communities.
“This strategic intervention will not only increase tree cover but also enhance food security, create wealth, generate employment, and improve our communities’ resilience to climate change,”
The Commissioner highlighted that the administration of Mr Yusuf firmly believes that environmental sustainability is fundamental to economic prosperity, food security, and social well-being.
” For this reason, we have placed climate action and ecosystem restoration at the center of our development agenda. With the approval and support of His Excellency, we have developed and adopted the Climate Change Policy, completed the Climate Change Implementation Plan, advanced the Kano State Climate Change Bill, and improved our national climate governance ranking from 34th in 2024 to 4th in 2025, making Kano one of Nigeria’s leading subnational governments in climate governance and environmental stewardship,” he said .
