The Pan-African Agency of Great Green Wall (PGGW) believes President Muhammadu Buhari’s takeover of the leadership of PGGW’s council will facilitate easier access to $19 billion in grants and loans to member countries.

The loan and the grants will be from the International Monetary Fund and European Union Bank to support the GGW programme.

Environment minister Mohammad Abubakar said this while briefing journalists on important recent developments in the environment sector on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Abubakar added that one of the developments was Nigeria’s assumption of the GGW presidency and hosting of the council of presidents of the GGW countries.

He explained that 11 countries (Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Sudan) made up the GGW support for Nigeria’s presidential aspirations.

According to him, the council believes Mr Buhari could take the GGW delivery structure to a higher level if he becomes the chairman of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of PAN-GGW.

“If the Nigerian president takes over the leadership of the PAN-GGW, it would be easier for the GGW programme to access about $5 billion as grants and $14 billion soft loans available out there,” said Mr Abubakar. “This is because of the respect the world has for the president.”

The minister further said the council adopted some development reports on July 29, 2021, at the seventh Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of the PAGGW in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

“The reports included that of Nigeria hosting the eighth ministers meeting of the PAGGW later in the year, as well as hosting the fifth summit of the heads of state and government virtually in September 2021.