African Countries Must Address Climate Change Issues Alongside Poverty
Channel: Prof. Yemi Osinbajo
Date: 2022-06-16

8th Ordinary Session Of Council Of Ministers Of Pan-African Agency Of The Great Green Wall (PAGGW)

African countries must continue to explore various measures to combat climate change and desertification while also addressing food insecurity and poverty across the continent.

This is one of the reasons why Nigeria plans to attain net-zero by 2060; as its “energy transition plan also focuses on how to creatively transit to net-zero emissions and at the same time increase access to power and high agricultural and industrial output.”

This was stated by President Muhammadu Buhari today in a speech Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, delivered on his behalf in Abuja at the 8th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW), which Nigeria is hosting.

Nigeria is part of the African Union’s Great Green Wall initiative which aims to restore the continent’s degraded landscapes and transform millions of lives while boosting food security, and strengthening climate resilience.

Highlighting the importance of tackling both poverty and climate change on the continent, the President stated that “it is important to emphasize that for Africa, mitigation and adaptation methods for climate change must be mindful of the fact that Africa is confronted with twin challenges. The ravages of climate change but perhaps more importantly the existential problem of extreme poverty. Both, not one, must be addressed,” President Buhari stated.

The President noted that “we must take every opportunity and especially at meetings like this, to remind ourselves as African leaders and our development friends, of what the Great Green wall Initiative is and what it is not.

According to the President, while the original vision was to create a wall of trees against desertification in the Sahel, the horn and across North Africa, the Great Green Wall today has a more ambitious reach—it is now a variety of sustainable land use practices designed to combat climate change and desertification and to address food insecurity and poverty.”

Buttressing on measures taken by Nigeria so far in addressing climate change, the President noted that “Nigeria believes that protecting our planet, its biodiversity and climate are essential to our collective survival. The impact of climate change is upon us all over the continent – drought and desertification increasing conflicts over pasture and water, food insecurity, loss of livelihood and youth migration among others.”

Noting the receding Lake Chad due to the effects of climate change, the President observed that if this major challenge is not addressed urgently, “fishing, dry season farming and all other associated value chain benefits are lost or greatly reduced.”

Urging synergy among African countries in addressing these existential and other associated challenges, the President said, “we must build climate-resilient economies that effectively align with the SDGs and that have great potential for unlocking the full opportunities in different sectors of the economy, while protecting the resources for present and future generations.

President Buhari noted steps taken by the Nigerian government in this regard, including the recently signed Nigeria Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project with the World Bank.

He disclosed that the project “will increase the implementation of sustainable landscape management practices in northern Nigeria and strengthen the country’s long-term enabling environment for integrated climate-resilient landscape management.”


**********************


The official YouTube channel for Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON.

Oluyemi Oluleke “Yemi” Osinbajo is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who is the current Vice President of Nigeria, in office since 29 May 2015.

Follow Prof. Osinbajo online
Website: www.yemiosinbajo.ng
Facebook: Professor Yemi Osinbajo
Twitter: @ProfOsinbajo
Instagram: @ProfOsinbajo
TikTok: @ProfOsinbajo