By Abdullahi Lukman
The National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW) will launch its 2025 planting season in July, distributing over five million date palm seedlings nationwide, with a significant share allocated to Kano State.
NAGGW Director-General, Alhaji Saleh Abubakar, disclosed this during a visit to Kano’s Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Dahir Hashim, on May 23, 2025. Abubakar requested the state’s support in identifying and securing plantation sites to ensure effective agroforestry efforts.
Although NAGGW operates from Abuja, Kano remains its functional base due to the presence of the Afforestation Project Coordinating Unit.
Key planting sites have been identified in Gabasawa and Makoda Local Government Areas to support environmental restoration and boost rural livelihoods.
Abubakar raised concerns over vandalism and encroachment at the Gabasawa site, despite repeated warnings to authorities.
He called for alternative sites if the current location proves unviable, emphasizing the need to protect plantations from setbacks.
The visit aimed to strengthen collaboration with Kano State in combating desertification.
Abubakar pledged the agency’s readiness to work closely with the state to advance environmental restoration.
In response, Commissioner Hashim reaffirmed Kano’s commitment, highlighting the government’s reclamation of over 37,000 hectares of degraded land and the recruitment of additional forest guards to safeguard plantations.
He stressed the importance of community involvement in these efforts.
Abdulhamid Bala, Acting State Project Coordinator for Kano-AcReSAL, attributed site vandalism partly to unpaid forest guards and delayed planting, which has led to encroachment by farmers.
Bala called for timely funding to ensure smooth project execution across Kano State.
