FAO offers Nigeria, others €41m to fight desertification

Nigeria and five other African countries are to benefit from the collaboration between the African Union Commission and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation aimed at combating land degradation, desertification and drought.

In an agreement on the implementation of Action Against Desertification, signed on Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the AU commission and FAO strengthened their partnership in support of the Great Green Wall initiative, Africa’s flagship initiative against land degradation, desertification and drought.

Aside from Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Niger and Senegal are the other African countries to benefit from a budget of about € 41m set aside to improve the state and health of production landscapes affected by desertification and land degradation.

According to the agreement, the FAO will support the AU commission through a special hub that will provide assistance in coordination, monitoring and evaluation, capacity development, resource mobilisation and knowledge management for the implementation of the AAD.