Sahara Group has pledged to support the Federal Government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in their efforts to tackle poverty, climate change, and health challenges in Nigeria.
According to a statement, Vice President Kashim Shettima chaired a meeting with stakeholders, including Bill Gates, President Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, and Executive Director, Sahara Group, Kola Adesina, where critical issues such as desertification, deforestation, agriculture, education, and vaccination were discussed.
Sahara Group, the statement said, is exploring several avenues to contribute to tackling these issues alongside the government and other stakeholders.
According to Adesina, Sahara Group exists to bring energy to life responsibly and will support this initiative as it continues to contribute to developing, energising, and transforming Nigeria.
“These issues are quite important in Nigeria’s quest for sustainable development, ensuring that no one is left behind. We commend the Federal Government for leading this vital charge. Sahara Group exists to bring energy to life responsibly. Sahara will support this initiative as we continue to contribute our quota towards developing, energising and transforming our nation,” Adesina said.
Nigeria had 10.9 million hectares of natural forest in 2010, extending over 12% of its land area, according to Global Forest Watch. However, from 2002 to 2021, Nigeria lost 153 Kilo hectares of humid primary forest, making up 14% of its total tree cover loss in the same period.
At COP 26, Nigeria pledged to end deforestation by 2030 by raising the required finance to support afforestation and introducing initiatives such as removing deforestation from the global trade of food and other agricultural products such as palm oil, soya, and cocoa.
A 2022 research conducted by a group of scholars showed that over 70 million Nigerians were directly or indirectly experiencing the negative impact of drought and desertification. Adesina stated that various studies and data indicate that there is a need to step up the rate of afforestation and galvanise collaborative interventions that will need all stakeholders on board. He also held that channelling efforts towards boosting agriculture across the nation remained critical to promoting sustainable economic development in Nigeria.
Sahara Group will also work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to promote polio eradication and vaccination to help the nation navigate health challenges that can be effectively overcome through prevention.