In an effort to increase the National Agency for the Great Green Wall’s (NAGGW) efficacy in combating desertification, land degradation, and climate change in northern Nigeria, the Federal Government has approved the relocation of the organization’s operational headquarters from Abuja to Kano State.
The decision was made on Wednesday by Environment Minister Balarabe Abbas Lawal, who described it as a strategic move within President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda that aims to bring government institutions closer to their areas of operation.
The minister stated that the Afforestation Programme Coordinating Unit (APCU) office in Kano, a Federal Government facility built in 1988, will serve as the agency’s new operating headquarters.
According to Lawal, the move is anticipated to enhance project coordination, oversight, and execution throughout the agency’s operational zone.
He stated, “The strategic move is intended to significantly improve the Agency’s effectiveness in implementing the Great Green Wall Programme across Nigeria’s frontline states.”
In order to fight desertification, land degradation, and the effects of climate change in the Sahel-Sahara area, the African Union launched the Great Green Wall Program, which involves over 11 nations.
Eleven frontline states in Nigeria are covered under the program: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.
The minister pointed out that because the agency’s main operations are located in the northern states where the initiative is being executed, functioning from Abuja has presented difficulties.
“The Agency will achieve better monitoring, stronger coordination with state governments, local authorities, and communities, and more efficient service delivery by moving to a permanent location in Kano, a central hub within the operational zone,” Lawal said.
He clarified that the APCU building in Kano offers the organization a permanent base and will assist in resolving issues related to running from a short-term rented office in Abuja.
In order to improve efficiency and bring governance closer to the people, Lawal continued, the Federal Government’s policy of placing agencies closer to their operational areas is reflected in the decision.
He expressed optimism that the move will boost service delivery to communities in northern Nigeria and strengthen the Great Green Wall Program’s implementation.
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