By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Following successful implementation of the first land degradation neutrality project in Nassarawa and Plateau States, Green Sahara Farms and its International Partners have designed a project to develop 200 thousand hectares for full value development .
Green Sahara Farms was inspired by the encroaching Sahara desert and the receding Lake Chad Basin region with the consequent environmental tragedy affecting over 30 million people around the Sahel could also affect the quality of life and create an alternative economy hitherto dependent on natural capital.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Green Sahara Farms, ,Suleiman Mohammed Dikwa who stated this on Sunday in Maiduguri in a statement made available to journalists.
Mr. Dikwa said the Green Sahara Farms was established in 2006 and incorporated in 2009 with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and has presence and operating in actively in the following states; Plateau State, Nassarawa, Katsina, Yobe, Abuja, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Anambra, Kaduna, Zamfara and Kebbi States.
He further explained that,” We create a business model which seeks to adapt business models which redevelop natural capital and reconnect the economy to nature using landscape restoration as a foundation for the emergent Economy.
”Our approach to our business is to create economic clusters of interconnected and co-dependent entities of stakeholders through the sustainable market approach which takes cognisance of all social ,environmental and economic components of the supply chain which earned us Business Day award among the 100 fastest growing Nigerian companies being the First local company to adopt the ESG principles.
”We commenced tree planting way back at the inception of the company in Yobe state where we experimented by introducing trees in Potiskum and environs . About five years later, we commenced the green sahara revolution which is Africa Centric and the components of the program in our first strategic framework were operation Spicy Green , Green Grain Gains, Green Tree Thrift (GTT).
”We had two major successes with the OSG. We were able to work with a local company, Tiger Foods Limited to develop alternatives to imported products and clean up the supply chain.
”We are able to commercialize the cultivation and processing turmeric , to the best of my knowledge the most successful import substitution program in recent history in Nigeria.
”Our business model was adjudged one of the best in Africa by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Initiative for Global Leadership .The company was scouted by an Indian company operating in Nigeria to develop its export supply chain which was successfully developed and export market linkages was established as the largest cluster in the South West was also established as the companies seek to develop their resilient Supply chain .
”The company has always faced financing constraints vis a vis the opportunities available to it so it focuses on developing sustainable systems and processes through its engagements with governments at international ,national and local levels .While developing its nursery capacity and seeking landscapes to restore it’s preferred balance sheet of natural capital,” Suleiman Dikwa said.
“The Green Sahara Farms have created the largest nursery system in Africa with a production capacity of 2.7 million seedlings a year and can scale to 5 Million a year. Planted 1.2m trees last year.. GSF also commenced project with SOF to plant 200 Million trees and executed the largest tree planting campaign in five decades in Nigeria .
According to the statement, Green Sahara Farms is also Delegate to the United State Trade Development Agency Reverse Trade Mission sponsored by the United States Government and LDN Advisory and Esmeralda of Germany to Reforest 200 thousand hectares and raise 600 million dollars for full value chain development for a land degradation neutrality project in the Sahel and Middle Belt .
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