Nigerian govt launches 2026 tree planting campaign in Kano, urges 11 governors to tackle desertification

The Federal Government on Thursday launched the 2026 tree planting campaign in Kano as part of activities marking the fourth Great Green Wall Day, calling on governors of the 11 frontline states to intensify efforts to combat desertification and climate change.

Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, flagged off the exercise at the headquarters of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, NAGGW, where he also inaugurated the National Steering Committee for the Scaling-Up Resilience in Africa’s Great Green Wall, SURAGGWA, Project.

The 2026 campaign is themed, “The Green Shield: Restoring Landscapes to Silence the Sand and Dust Storms.”

Speaking at the event, Mr Lawal described sand and dust storms as one of the most pressing environmental threats confronting northern Nigeria and the wider Sahel region, warning that their increasing frequency and intensity pose serious risks to agriculture, public health, biodiversity, infrastructure and livelihoods.

He said the Great Green Wall initiative was no longer just about planting trees but about restoring degraded land, improving food security, conserving biodiversity and building climate-resilient communities across the 11 frontline states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.

The minister urged governors, local government councils and other stakeholders in the affected states to actively support the campaign to ensure its success.

“Today’s flag-off of the tree planting activities represents more than an annual exercise. It is a renewed national commitment to restore our environment, protect our communities and secure a sustainable future for generations to come,” he said.

Mr Lawal also announced that the Federal Government had relocated the headquarters of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall from Abuja to Kano in recognition of the state’s strategic role in implementing the initiative, saying the new headquarters was commissioned during the event.

Director-General of the NAGGW, Saleh Abubakar, said the agency had recorded significant progress in restoring degraded landscapes and improving livelihoods across the frontline states.

According to him, the agency has raised more than 48 million indigenous tree seedlings, established 5,480.88 hectares of shelterbelts, over 1,600 hectares of community woodlots, 1,128 hectares of orchards, 990 hectares of Acacia plantations and restored 800 hectares of degraded land.

He added that more than 10.8 million drought-resistant seedlings and 869,089 date palm seedlings had been distributed to farmers to promote agroforestry, while 155 hectares of degraded sand dunes had been reclaimed for agricultural use.

Mr Abubakar said the agency had also expanded access to renewable energy and rural infrastructure by distributing solar home systems, fuel-efficient cookstoves, solar-powered irrigation pumps and boreholes to communities across the region.

Representing Governor Abba Yusuf, Kano State Commissioner for Environment, Water and Climate Change, Dahir Hashim, commended President Bola Tinubu for relocating the agency’s headquarters to Kano, describing the move as recognition of the state’s strategic importance in Nigeria’s environmental and climate agenda.

He said the agency’s interventions had strengthened afforestation efforts, promoted climate-smart agriculture and empowered rural communities through livelihood support programmes.

Mr Hashim disclosed that the agency recently donated 500,000 date palm seedlings to the Kano State Government for planting across suitable communities, saying the initiative would boost food security, create jobs and improve resilience to climate change.

He added that Kano had prioritised climate action by adopting a climate change policy, developing an implementation plan, advancing a climate change bill and improving its national climate governance ranking from 34th in 2024 to fourth in 2025.