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Nigeria: Minister of Environment Leads 38-Man Delegation to Israel
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Leadership (Abuja)
23 July 2008
Posted to the web 23 July 2008
Minister of Environment, Mrs Halima Alao, is leading a 38-man delegation of the National Steering Committee on the Green Wall Nigeria Programme (GWNP) to Israel.
Alao told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), yesterday in Abuja before her departure, that the visit would provide the committee the opportunity to have first hand information on the transformation of part of the Negev desert to the food basket of Israel.
She also said that the visit would also avail the committee of the opportunity to work out the technical details of the baseline and the environment impact assessment studies of the project.
It was also intended to strengthen the commitment of the Israeli government and its partners to the implementation of the project.
Alao said that the GWNP was launched by the former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in collaboration with the African Union Commission in December 2006.
She said that the 11 front line states that would be actively involved in the programme included Adamawa, Borno, Bauchi and Jigawa.
Others are Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara states. She said that the Nigerian government has put in place implementation structures that would drive the programme effectively.
According to her, the implementation structures include the National Steering Committee which would represent the National Technical Committee and the State Implementation Committee.
Others are the Community Green Wall Association and five sub-committees on land degradation, finance and funding, carbon sequestration, advocacy, publicity and mobilisation and food security.
The minister said that the key component of the GWNP was the desert to food project which serves as the engine room for the programme.
"The desert to food approach towards management of desertification in the arid areas of the frontline states is the best and sustainable approach," she said.
She also stated that the objective of the desert to food project was to turn the waste land into food basket, create wealth and employment.
The project was also intended to establish urbanisation, enhance living standard of the people of the area and promote eco-tourism within the community.
She said that the trip would be a busy one and its outcome would be critical to the development of the country's dry lands.
The 38-man delegation included the Minister of State, Science and Technology, Alhaji Sani Zaku, and Minister of State for Education, Mr Jerry Agada.
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(NAN)
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