Back and Next - Back and NextStakeholders meet on Great Green Wall
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Stakeholders from the department of state for Forestry in conjunction with the African Union Commission’s Mission to the Gambia, yesterday, held a joint briefing on the initiative of the Great Green Wall, at a day’s meeting held at the department of state for Fisheries and Water resources.
The joint briefing was meant to discuss issues regarding the implementation of the Great Green Wall initiative in the Gambia. The Great Green wall initiative proposed by the former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005 and 2007 respectively, was adopted by Heads of state of the African Union member countries during their summit in Syrte, Libya.
The initiative is geared towards arresting the longstanding problem of land degradation and desertification in Africa, particularly in the sub-Saharan countries, where the impact of the desertification continues to remain a threat. According to the experts at the meeting, the initiative is also meant to improve livelihood since the issue of land degradation continues to pose a serious threat especially in terms of increasing poverty, and environmental degradation.
Officially opening the day’s briefing, Nancy Niang, acting permanent secretary at the department of state for Forestry and Environment, welcomed the initiative, describing it as a visionary programme that will greatly address the phenomenon of land degradation. Land degradation and desertification, she said, are phenomenal issues that are posing serious threat to the socio-economic advancement of the arid and semi arid zones of Africa.
She also observed that for the Gambia to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it is imperative that these issues be addressed in a more holistic manner based on the effective involvement of all stakeholders including the rural communities.
‘‘This programme, by necessity, should be implemented in an integrated manner as it cuts across all sector institutions and stakeholders. The initiative is not just about planting trees, but should consist of multitude of inter-related interventions including water resources, rangelands, forest and biodiversity conservation to address the growing menace of poverty and resource degradation in the Sahel and Sahara zones of Africa,’’ Acting PS Niang noted.
While informing the experts about the Gambia government’s stance to sustainable environmental management, Acting PS Niang extended the government’s expression of gratitude to the African Union Commission for such a laudable initiative.
Almami Dampha, policy officer, forestry and lands management at the African Union, said the initiative is already at the implementation stage, noting that the next summit of the AU in January 2009 will consider and adopt the draft action plan of the initiative. He noted that once that draft action plan is adopted, it would then become mandatory for AU to provide the necessary support for the implementation of the project.
Dampha underscored that the draft action plan will be at the continental level and it will provide the overall framework, but was quick to emphasise the need for a national programme at the level of various African countries. He indicated that the national programme will only focus on the national priority areas.
Madam Fatoumata Jallow -Ndoye, member of the AU Commission to the Gambia delved into a wide range of activities of the continental body, particularly agriculture and economy. Jatto Sillah, director of Forestry described the initiative as ‘not new to the country’, considering government stance through their department had been engaging on massive forestation.
He expressed optimism that the initiative will go a long way in addressing the issue of land degradation in the country.
The joint briefing was meant to discuss issues regarding the implementation of the Great Green Wall initiative in the Gambia. The Great Green wall initiative proposed by the former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005 and 2007 respectively, was adopted by Heads of state of the African Union member countries during their summit in Syrte, Libya.
The initiative is geared towards arresting the longstanding problem of land degradation and desertification in Africa, particularly in the sub-Saharan countries, where the impact of the desertification continues to remain a threat. According to the experts at the meeting, the initiative is also meant to improve livelihood since the issue of land degradation continues to pose a serious threat especially in terms of increasing poverty, and environmental degradation.
Officially opening the day’s briefing, Nancy Niang, acting permanent secretary at the department of state for Forestry and Environment, welcomed the initiative, describing it as a visionary programme that will greatly address the phenomenon of land degradation. Land degradation and desertification, she said, are phenomenal issues that are posing serious threat to the socio-economic advancement of the arid and semi arid zones of Africa.
She also observed that for the Gambia to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it is imperative that these issues be addressed in a more holistic manner based on the effective involvement of all stakeholders including the rural communities.
‘‘This programme, by necessity, should be implemented in an integrated manner as it cuts across all sector institutions and stakeholders. The initiative is not just about planting trees, but should consist of multitude of inter-related interventions including water resources, rangelands, forest and biodiversity conservation to address the growing menace of poverty and resource degradation in the Sahel and Sahara zones of Africa,’’ Acting PS Niang noted.
While informing the experts about the Gambia government’s stance to sustainable environmental management, Acting PS Niang extended the government’s expression of gratitude to the African Union Commission for such a laudable initiative.
Almami Dampha, policy officer, forestry and lands management at the African Union, said the initiative is already at the implementation stage, noting that the next summit of the AU in January 2009 will consider and adopt the draft action plan of the initiative. He noted that once that draft action plan is adopted, it would then become mandatory for AU to provide the necessary support for the implementation of the project.
Dampha underscored that the draft action plan will be at the continental level and it will provide the overall framework, but was quick to emphasise the need for a national programme at the level of various African countries. He indicated that the national programme will only focus on the national priority areas.
Madam Fatoumata Jallow -Ndoye, member of the AU Commission to the Gambia delved into a wide range of activities of the continental body, particularly agriculture and economy. Jatto Sillah, director of Forestry described the initiative as ‘not new to the country’, considering government stance through their department had been engaging on massive forestation.
He expressed optimism that the initiative will go a long way in addressing the issue of land degradation in the country.
Author: by Hatab Fadera
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