CITAD Launches One-Year Campaign to Plant One Million Indigenous Trees Across Northern Nigeria

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has launched a one-year campaign to plant one million indigenous trees across the 19 states of Northern Nigeria as part of efforts to combat deforestation, desertification and environmental degradation.

The campaign was launched on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in Jama’are Local Government Area of Bauchi State and will run until September 1, 2027.

CITAD Executive Director, Mr Y. Z. Ya’u, said the initiative would go beyond large-scale tree planting to include a pilot forest restoration programme designed to rehabilitate degraded and deforested areas.

As part of the launch, CITAD and its partners planted 100 trees in an area of Jama’are that was formerly covered by forest.

Ya’u said the pilot project was intended to demonstrate that degraded forest areas could be restored through sustained intervention, community participation, deliberate tree planting and effective monitoring.

“We are not only interested in planting one million trees and counting them; we also want to see how we can restore areas that have been degraded and lost their forest cover.

“That is why, together with our partners, we planted 100 trees in what used to be a forest here in Jama’are as a pilot forest restoration exercise,” he said.

The tree-planting exercise covered Kwanar Digiza, Jogayel and the Government Arabic College in Jama’are.

Officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), forest guards and members of the host communities participated in the exercise.

Among the indigenous species planted were mango, baobab, tamarind, Borassus aethiopum and shea butter trees.

According to Ya’u, the campaign would prioritise environmentally fragile areas across Northern Nigeria, with emphasis on indigenous species adapted to local environmental conditions.

He said communities and other stakeholders would be actively involved in nurturing and protecting the trees to improve their chances of survival.

Technology to Track Tree Growth

Ya’u said CITAD would deploy digital technology to map planting locations and monitor the growth and survival of trees throughout the one-year campaign.

He explained that the technology would support data collection, evaluation and monitoring, allowing the organisation to track the progress and impact of the initiative.

“The use of technology will enable us to know where trees are planted, monitor their growth and survival, and evaluate the overall impact of the campaign,” he said.

The executive director also said media platforms would be used to raise awareness and mobilise communities around tree planting, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and climate resilience.

He called on governments, traditional institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, schools, youth groups and communities to support the initiative.

Ya’u urged communities to take ownership of the campaign by protecting and nurturing the trees planted in their areas.

He said the success of the initiative would depend on sustained community participation, effective monitoring and collective responsibility for environmental protection.

The campaign, he added, is part of CITAD’s broader commitment to promoting community-led solutions to environmental challenges and building a greener, more resilient Northern Nigeria.