Gov. Zulum Appoints Usman Aliyu as DG of Borno’s Great Green Wall Agency
Gov. Zulum Appoints Usman Aliyu as DG of Borno’s Great Green Wall Agency
By Matthew Eloyi
Governor Babagana Zulum has appointed Mr Usman Aliyu as the Director-General of the Borno State Agency for the Great Green Wall (GGW), a pivotal role in the fight against desertification.
The announcement, made on Monday, was contained in a statement issued by Abdurrahman Bundi, the Senior Special Assistant to Zulum on New Media.
According to the statement, the governor expects the highest level of commitment and dedication in Aliyu’s new role.
Usman Aliyu, an alumnus of the University of Maiduguri, graduated 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 the same field at his alma mater.
Aliyu’s career includes roles in both the private and public sectors. Notably, he 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. He hails from the Hawul Local Government Area of Borno.
The Great Green Wall initiative, adopted by the African Union in 2007, aims to combat desertification in the Sahel region and halt the Sahara desert’s expansion. In Nigeria, the project focuses on establishing mosaic greenbelts in the northern states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara.
Implemented across 22 African countries, the GGW project has garnered over USD 14 billion in support. Its goals include restoring 100 million hectares of degraded land, sequestering 250 million tonnes of carbon, and creating 10 million green jobs by 2030.
The initiative, led by the African Union Commission and the Pan-African Agency of the GGW, seeks to revitalize thousands of communities across the continent.
