Zulum appoints DG for Borno State Agency for Great Green Wall

Gov. Babagana Zulum on Monday announced the appointment of Mr Usman Aliyu as the Director-General of the Borno State Agency for the Great Green Wall (GGW).

The announcement is contained in a statement issued by Abdurrahman Bundi, the Senior Special Assistant to Zulum on New Media.

The GGW is an African Union project to combat desertification in the Sahel region and prevent the expansion of the Sahara desert.

Zulum said he expects the highest level of commitment and dedication in Aliyu’s new role.

It was reported that Aliyu graduated from the University of Maiduguri with a BSc in Geology in 2007 and later earned a master’s degree in Environmental Management in 2015.

He is currently pursuing a PhD in Environmental Management at the same university.

Aliyu’s career spanned various roles in both the private and public sectors.

He has served as a coordinator under the now-defunct Federal Ministry of Mineral Resources and Geological Survey in Kano, and worked with the Borno State Green Hub Africa and the Kano State Ministry of Environment, among others.

Aliyu hails from Hawul Local Government of Borno.

It was reported that the GGW was adopted by the AU in 2007.

The programme in Nigeria focuses on establishing mosaic greenbelts within the identified GGW corridor of the country spanning the drylands of the northern states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.

This ambitious project is being implemented across 22 African countries and will revitalize thousands of communities across the continent.

It brings together African countries and international partners under the leadership of the African Union Commission and the Pan-African Agency of the GGW.

More than USD 14 billion has been raised and pledged to support this game-changing initiative.

The GGW initiative’s ambition is to restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land; sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon and create 10 million green jobs by 2030.