NCF: 1,000 Nigerians benefitted from tree planting programme in 2023

The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) says it enhanced the lives of 1,000 Nigerians through the planting of 276,860 trees in 2023.

NCF has been implementing its Green Recovery Nigeria (GRN) programme.

Oladapo Soneye, head communications at NCF, in a statement on Thursday, said the aim of the GRN programme was to facilitate reforestation in 25 percent of Nigeria’s landmass.

Sonye explained that the GRN is a 30-year programme that will run from 2017 to 2047, while also promoting actions to curb deforestation and forest degradation.

He mentioned other activities of the programme to include fuel-efficient cook stove training, provision of clean water, employment of eco-guards, tree nursery raising, enterprise development around non-timber forest products and many others.

He added that the livelihood support feature of the GRN programme is aimed at reducing total dependence of communities on the forest and curbing harvesting of wood for fuel purposes.

Others are encouraging conservation of wildlife and preventing forest reserves from being hideouts for criminals.

Sonye listed some of the beneficiary communities in the livelihood component to include Iko Esai and Becheve in Cross River; Ajingi in Kano; Guzape in Abuja; Awka-Etiti in Anambra, among others.

“The tree planting exercise happened across the six geo-political zones of the nation,” Sonye said.

“Economic trees planted include avocado, mango, cashew, orange and timber trees like Gmelina and teak etc.

“The trees were planted in forest reserves, national parks, community forests, secondary schools, and tertiary institutions, among others.”

He said the livelihood support and tree planting projects were made possible through the support of the German government, the nature and biodiversity conservation union, and Stanbic IBTC Holdings.

He mentioned other supporters of the programme as Access Corporation, AFR100, Pernod Ricard Nigeria, International Labour Organisation and First Bank of Nigeria Ltd.

Others are the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, ATC Nigeria Wireless Infrastructure Ltd., and many others.