Nigeria Set to Launch SURAGGWA Project in a Push for Climate Resilience and Land Restoration.
By Raymond Enoch
As global climate challenges intensify, Nigeria is taking a bold step forward in environmental sustainability with the upcoming launch of the Scaling-Up Resilience in Africa’s Great Green Wall (SURAGGWA) project, backed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and championed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
In a strategic move to ensure smooth implementation, the FAO Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Dr. Hussein Gadain, received the Director-General/CEO of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), Saleh Abubakar, MFR, in Abuja this week. The high-level meeting focused on aligning Nigeria’s national priorities with the overarching goals of the SURAGGWA programme across the Sahel region.
“This is a critical time for Africa,” Dr. Gadain said during the meeting. “SURAGGWA represents a transformative opportunity to build ecological resilience and restore degraded landscapes while addressing food insecurity and climate change.”
The SURAGGWA initiative aims to bolster environmental resilience across eight African countries, including Nigeria, through targeted landscape restoration, sustainable land management, and increased carbon sequestration. The project directly supports the goals of the Great Green Wall initiative, a continental reforestation ambition stretching across the width of Africa to combat desertification and build climate resilience.
Saleh Abubakar, leading Nigeria’s implementation drive, emphasized the urgency of action. “The time to act is now. We are committed to making sure Nigeria not only meets but exceeds the expectations of this project,” he said. “The Great Green Wall is more than a project; it’s a lifeline for millions affected by climate shocks and degraded environments.”
The project is expected to impact livelihoods, food systems, and ecosystem stability under the FAO’s “Four Betters” framework: Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment, and a Better Life. It also complements the United Nations’ Zero Hunger target and other key Sustainable Development Goals.
As the launch of SURAGGWA draws near, both the FAO and Nigeria’s National Agency for the Great Green Wall have pledged to collaborate closely on technical, logistical, and community engagement strategies to ensure long-term impact.
Nigeria’s leadership in this initiative may well serve as a model for climate adaptation efforts across the continent. The world is watching, and the stakes could not be higher.
