Green Sahara Farms and the Ministry of Niger Delta is set to establish a living lab for nature and people in the Niger Delta in a bid to find balance between human needs and nature.
The aim of the partnership is the transition from a fossil based linear economy to a circular bio economy with landscape restoration as a foundation, and in the case of the Niger Delta, the restoration of mangrove plantation would be the foundation for the transition.
The living lab will also focus on the use of renewable natural resources instead of petrochemicals which cause damage to the environment as a base resource in agro forestry, medicine, housing, bio-fertilizers, and bio-pharmaceuticals.
The minister of State Niger Delta, Sharon Ikeazor drew attention to divestment by major oil companies in the Niger Delta to invest in sustainable ventures.
She lamented that the devastation caused by the activities of oil companies in the Niger Delta has caused loss of livelihoods and other social and economic problems.
The founder/CEO of Green Sahara farms, Suleiman Dikwa noted that for the first time in history there is an alignment of interest between the west and the underdeveloped world as activities of rural fishermen affects the life of the residents of Seoul, New York, Paris, Tokyo etc.
He stressed that everyone has agreed that conservation is no longer sustainable but to adapt business models which create sustainable economic activities while restoring landscapes.
Dikwa explained that the CBA had developed a holistic approach to reimage and develop an economy built on landscape restoration, from housing, biopharmaceuticals, bio-energy, bio-fetilizers for regenerative agriculture, aesthetic and spiritual harmony.
Also, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Olufunso Adebiyi stressed the need for the ministry to develop competency in climate adaptation economic models with a view to meeting the SDGs target as a core function of the ministry.
The Director of Economic Development in the Ministry, Mr Patrick Nyamo’ stated that the ministry has various social programs that they could not execute due to lack of funds and finding a synergy between social, economic and environmental objectives will enable an alternative source of financing social and environmental challenges sustainably and prepare the Niger Delta for life after oil.
GSF, Niger Delta ministry to establish living lab
