By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Engr. Hassan Musa,said mobilization of resources for Pan Africa Great Green World(PAGGW) will build resilience of Sahelian people. Engr. Hassan represented by Director Press of the ministry, Saghir el Mohammed made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja, while declaring open, the Technical Committee of Experts Meeting of the 8th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of the Great Green World member countries holding from 14-16,June in Abuja.
He said, there is a need to come up with a well-articulated and actionable strategies for mobilization of these pledged financial resources at the end of this technical session.
He said the recognition of the paucity of financial resources for the implementation of the Great Green Wall initiative led to several billions of US Dollars pledged by a coalition of Technical and Financial Partners (TFPs) at the 4th Edition of the “One Planet Summit” on Climate Change and Biodiversity held in Paris, France on 11th of January, 2021.
“The pragmatic efforts of GGW member countries to access these financial resources so pledged by the (TFPs) require necessary evaluation . “I sincerely believe, this would be the centre-stage of the deliberation of this technical committee of experts”. He explained that, if this is done, the development of impact and transformative programmes and projects will absorb the mobilized resources. “It would no doubt build the resilience of the Sahelian people”.
He stated the need for mobilization of financial resources to actualize the vision of the Great Green Wall is glaring. “Poor financial provision and mobilization has been a major obstacle to the effective and impactful implementation process of the activities of the laudable Great Green Wall Initiative in virtually all the participating member states”. The Perm Sec pointed out that,” it will be a painful and futile exercise if initiatives conceived are documented on paper without a matching financial and articulated human resources provided so as to concretize these initiatives through impactful actions”. Similarly,Executive Secretary of the Pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall,Brahim SAID, stated that, the overall objective will be to taken a decisive step in the operationalization of the Great Green Wall through concrete achievements with high added value.
SAID, assured that,this will bring a perfect visibility on the populations and a significant contribution in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He said, the Great Green Wall Initiative is one of the most ambitious cooperation tools for solving the environmental challenges of the Sahelian strip. “By the people and for the people at the grassroots, is its slogan”.
Meanwhile, Director General National Great Green World(GGW), Bukar Maina, in his remarks said, the technical committee of experts is a statutory meeting that deliberates on critical items and issues bordering implementation activities of the Great Green Wall. Maina appreciated the statutory technical meeting of experts on deliberate our accomplishments, challenges and prospects in the implementation process of Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI).
