The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) in the Federal Ministry of Environment, has allocated 20.65 million dollars to address the nation’s environmental challenges.

Alhaji Auwal Maidabino, GEF’s operational Focal point, said this on Wednesday at the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) National Dialogue Meeting in Abuja.

“Nigeria could benefit from the various impact programmes of GEF as well as other projects based on the country needs, covered by the Star allocation of 20.65 million dollars allocated to Nigeria,” he said.

According to him, GEF National Dialogue Meeting is organised to facilitate the conceptualisation of projects for implementation in the GEF-7 cycle for GEF CEO’s endorsement.

Maidabino who is also the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics in the ministry, said that the meeting also marked the beginning of Nigeria’s implementation of the GEF-7 cycle which star allocation stood at 20.65 million dollars.

“This will afford us the opportunity to articulate our environmental challenges for remediation within the ambit of three focal areas approved for Nigeria”.

“The three focal areas are climate change, land degradation and biodiversity,” Maidabino said.

Mrs Ibukun Odusote, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said the ministry would do its best to provide effective and efficient environmental framework to sustain the nation’s focus on sustainable development in the environmental sector.

Odusote said that the ministry would soon release its documents on the state of environmental report and the reviewed National Policy on Environment.

“Over the years, the issue of environmental statistics has not been placed on the National Bureau of Statistics data base which has become a fundamental issue that must be critically addressed”.

“Hence, discussions have been held to mainstream environmental statistics into National Planning for Developmental purposes,” Odusote said.