Podor, Senegal: Inauguration of a Nursery with a Capacity of 500,000 Seedlings at Thioubalel Lao, a Commitment Praised by the Executive Secretary of the PAGGW
January 12, 2026
Mr Almoustapha Garba, Executive Secretary of the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW), took part, in Podor, in the inauguration of a giant nursery of more than 500,000 seedlings at Thioubalel Lao, bearing the name of Dr Amadou Ibra Niang, an initiative led by the Podor Vert association, with the support of partners engaged in the fight against desertification. The ceremony was held under the patronage of Baba Mal, Ambassador of the United Nations System for the Fight against Desertification.
This ceremony, of strong symbolic and operational significance, was an opportunity for the Executive Secretary to reaffirm the PAGGW’s steadfast commitment alongside member States, local communities and field actors working for land restoration and climate resilience in the Sahel-Saharan area.
Senegal, a founding pillar and driving force of the Great Green Wall
In his speech, the Executive Secretary recalled that Senegal is among the founding countries and the most committed to building the Great Green Wall Initiative. He commended the dynamism of the Senegalese Agency for Reforestation and the Great Green Wall, stressing that his presence in Podor reflected institutional recognition of this exemplary commitment.
“It was my duty, as Executive Secretary of the Pan-African Agency, to come and express this recognition and to encourage concrete actions that embody the spirit and objectives of the Great Green Wall,” he stated.
Local action with continental reach
The Executive Secretary emphasised the strategic value of this nursery, which he regards as a structuring tool for land restoration, reforestation and the preservation of vegetation cover. Beyond the production of seedlings, this initiative constitutes a symbol of hope, resilience and community mobilisation in the face of the advance of desertification, which is particularly pronounced in northern Senegal.
According to him, this type of local initiative deserves to be encouraged, supported and replicated across the eleven member countries of the Great Green Wall, in order to produce a lasting impact on ecosystems and on the livelihoods of the populations.
Leading by example through action
The Executive Secretary also stressed the importance of coherence between international advocacy and action on the ground.
“Today, I can affirm that the examples we promote on the global stage are taking concrete shape here, in Africa, thanks to initiatives such as that of Podor Vert,” he stated, commending the commitment of local actors and of technical and financial partners.
The PAGGW alongside communities
Concluding his remarks, the Executive Secretary reiterated the PAGGW’s readiness to support any structuring initiative contributing to the effective implementation of the Great Green Wall, in line with national priorities and the vision of sustainable development and ecological transition carried by the States.
Through its participation in this ceremony, the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall reaffirms its role as a unifying continental framework, in the service of populations, land restoration and the fight against desertification in Africa.
