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NAGGW Promotes Gum Arabic as DG Inspects 2026 Tree Planting in Jigawa
The Director-General/CEO of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), Saleh Abubakar, MFR, has inspected tree-planting sites in Gumel and Kaugama Local Government Areas of Jigawa State as part of the Agency’s 2026 monitoring exercise.
During the inspection, Abubakar assessed ongoing restoration activities and the condition of seedlings being planted across the monitored locations. More than 20,000 seedlings comprising Neem, Gum Arabic and Cactus are being planted as part of the 2026 planting season.
The NAGGW boss commended the host communities for their participation in the restoration programme, particularly their efforts to protect and nurture the seedlings.
He stressed that community involvement was essential to ensuring that the Agency’s interventions achieve lasting environmental impact.
Abubakar urged beneficiaries to see the planted trees as long-term investments and take responsibility for their protection, maintenance and survival until maturity.
He said the success of the Great Green Wall initiative depended not only on planting trees but also on ensuring that they survive and benefit communities.
He also highlighted the economic potential of Gum Arabic, noting that NAGGW was promoting its cultivation in ecologically suitable areas to combine environmental restoration with sustainable livelihood opportunities for rural communities.
According to him, the cultivation of Gum Arabic can contribute to combating desertification while creating additional sources of income for communities in the Great Green Wall frontline areas.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, a community leader, Malam Abdullahi Magaji, appreciated NAGGW for the intervention and described the trees as investments capable of providing environmental, economic and social benefits to both present and future generations.
The monitoring exercise forms part of NAGGW’s efforts to track the implementation and sustainability of its restoration interventions across Nigeria’s Great Green Wall frontline states.
The Agency said the exercise would also help strengthen community participation, restore degraded landscapes, combat desertification and promote sustainable livelihoods in affected communities.
