Nigeria has committed to planting and nurturing 20 billion trees over the next five years as part of a broader push to restore landscapes and build climate resilience.
Environment Minister Balarabe Abbas Lawal announced the target on Tuesday during the 2026 World Environment Day commemoration and flag-off of the national tree planting exercise in Abuja. He said the programme will support landscape restoration, biodiversity conservation, watershed protection, agroforestry, urban greening, shelterbelt establishment, and community forest restoration.
Lawal linked the initiative to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, saying environmental sustainability and responsible resource management are now central to national planning. He described climate action as “an economic necessity, a social obligation, and a national development imperative.”
The ministry said Nigeria is backing the target with stronger environmental governance through policies on biodiversity and sustainable forestry, plus implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions NDC 3.0, a Circular Economy Roadmap, Green Bond financing, and a Carbon Market Activation Framework. The goal is to attract climate finance and create green jobs.
The event ended with symbolic tree planting at Government Science Secondary School, Maitama, led by the Minister, Permanent Secretary Salihu Aminu Usman, and NESREA Director General Prof. Innocent Barikor.
This year’s World Environment Day theme is “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future: Climate Solutions for a Resilient Future.”
