House of Lords Summit Highlights Proposed 200 Million-Tree Initiative for Nigeria

Delegates at the 5th Global Sustainability Summit and Awards held at the House of Lords in London expressed interest in a proposed 200 million-tree planting initiative in Nigeria following its presentation during the event.

The initiative was announced by Daniel Ronen, founder of a United Kingdom-based drone technology company, during the summit convened by Ambassador Canon Otto.

According to Ronen, Ambassador Otto is leading a multidisciplinary team working on the proposed afforestation programme, which is expected to be implemented in Rivers, Kwara, Oyo and Abia states.

He said the initiative is intended to support climate action, biodiversity conservation, environmental restoration and sustainable development.

The summit, held under the theme, “People, Planet and Profit in the Age of AI and Innovation,” brought together policymakers, academics, business leaders, diplomats and sustainability advocates from more than 37 countries to discuss climate change, sustainable development, food security, artificial intelligence and international collaboration.

In his keynote address, Ambassador Otto called for greater integration of sustainability into leadership and public policy.

“If we are serious about solving the world’s greatest challenges, we must first transform leadership. Sustainability must no longer be treated as an option; it must become the foundation of leadership,” he said.

According to the organisers, several delegates indicated an interest in exploring partnerships and technical collaboration in relation to the proposed tree-planting programme.

Among the distinguished delegates were Her Excellency Ambassador Professor Olufolake Abdulrazaq, First Lady of Kwara State and Chairperson of Nigeria’s Governors’ Spouses Forum; Her Excellency Engr. Mrs. Tamunominini Olufunke Makinde, FNSE, First Lady of Oyo State; Her Excellency Dr. Hajiya Asma’u Inuwa Yahaya, First Lady of Gombe State; Professor Dr. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, Chair in Sustainable Development Law and Policy at the University of Cambridge and Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Climate Law and Governance Initiative; Professor Payam Akhavan, Human Rights Chair at Massey College, University of Toronto, and Barrister at Twenty Essex, London; Dr. Alexandra R. Harrington, Chair of the Pollution Law Specialist Group of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law and Visiting Scholar at McGill University Faculty of Law; Dr. Md. Abdul Quader, Founder and Executive Director of SETU, Bangladesh; Hajia Hafasat Oduwole-Balewa, Chairman of the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone; President Mojisola Hunponu-Wusu, President of Woodhall Capital Group and Woodhall Capital Foundation; Nathalie Mindus, Co-Founder and CEO of Mindus and House of Green Digital; Ms. Oyinkansola Owoyemi, Sustainability Director at Sunbeth Global Concepts; alongside diplomats, business executives, government officials and sustainability leaders from around the world.