As part of concerted effort to fight desertification in the northern part of the country, the ministry of Environment has, under the Green Sahara programme of the presidency, concluded arrangement to fight desert encroachment in 16 states of the North using Tunisia Technology known as cactus opuntia.

The Environment ministry is partnering the Tunisian Embassy in the project implementation.
Mr. John Odey, the environment minister gave this indication in Abuja at a sensitization workshop held to secure the support and cooperation of the beneficiary states.
Odey explained that following the memorandum of understanding (mou) which the government signed recently with interact safety system limited (ISSI), a Tunisian company, his ministry has mandated the company to being to study the baseline of the affected states to ascertain the real time data for the successful execution of the programme.

According to the minister, the affected states include Adamawa, Bauchi, Kaduna.
Others are Katsina, Kebbi, Niger Nasarawa, Sokoto, Plateau, Yobe and Zamfara.
The minister revealed that, “desertification, aggravated by climate change, represents one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. Today's workshop is a crucial step at sensitizing the frontline and buffer states on the potentials of using cactus opuntia towards boosting economic development of our dry land”.

He further explained that despite the problems posed by desertification, there were good opportunities in nature to tackle them and enhance the socio-economic developments of the affected states through effective collaborations with the private sector.
“Strengthening the involvement of the private sector in the development of our dry lands can therefore contribute to meeting our targets on food security reduction and enhanced agricultural productively as principal means of income creation and wealth generation” he declared.

Speaking earlier, the chairman senate committee on Environment, senator Grace Bent had informed that the workshop signified the way forward in the fight against desertification, stressing that the cactus opuntia is a new frontier in this direction.
Grace Bent therefore stated that her committee would continue to empower the ministry through increased appropriations.
Mr. Simon Naoum, the Executive director of interact safety system while in an interactive session with the press revealed that the cactus opuntia has since 500 years ago, been used by the Tunisians to control land degradation in Tunis. He stressed that apart from the ecological benefits of the plants, cactus opuntia also has some medicinal and economic values.