Buhari seeks 916 million euros for Lake Chad development

President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday urged Ecowas member states and other Western allies to give countries of the Lake Chad Basin financial support for effective implementation of the Lake Chad Development and Climate Resilience Action Plan, LCDCRAP.

Mr. Buhari said an estimated $916 million euros is required for meaningful implementation of the plan, which, he said, is “crucial to reducing the high poverty rate in the basin, a major factor in the recruitment of terrorists.”Mr. Buhari’s comments came when he hosted his counterparts from West African countries, as well as the President of France, Francois Hollande, and representatives of United States, United Kingdom, European Union and China for the concluding session of a two-day regional security summit in Abuja.

“Implementing the Lake Chad Development and Climate Resilience Action Plan, which was submitted to donor countries and organization at the Conference of Parties (COP 21) side event on the Lake Chad, therefore, remains a vital challenge,” Mr. Buhari said.

Saturday’s summit, aimed at boosting cooperation between Nigeria, its West African neighbours and other allies to defeat Boko Haram, held two years after a similar one was convened by Mr. Hollande in Paris, and the leaders reviewed the gains recorded in the fight against Boko Haram since then.

Mr. Hollande echoed Mr. Buhari’s position, but added that there wasl a need for greater cooperation amongst stakeholders, promising more cooperation in counter-insurgency, training and equipment as well as intelligence gathering and distribution.

“France will share intelligence, help in counterinsurgency training and provide equipment to countries in fight against Boko Haram,” Mr. Hollande said. “On this issue of Boko Haram, when there is threat to a country in Africa, there is a threat in France.