‘States not forthcoming in accessing GEF fund’

The Executive Director of Empowerment Strategy for Women and Youth Initiative, Halima Mohammed, has berated the attitude of states towards accessing the Global Environment Facility (GEF) fund. 

Mohammed, who is a former Desk Officer of GEF, said she had once, at the National Council of Environment, briefed all the commissioners of environment present on how to access the fund and all the necessary steps to follow but that nothing was forthcoming from the states.   

Speaking in an interview with journalists, she said: “I personally briefed the commissioners on how they could access the funds and that if they were having difficulty in writing the proposals, they could collaborate with GEF implementing agencies which included the World Bank, UNDP, UNIDO, etc; any of them can put them through but nothing is forthcoming from the states.” 

She disclosed that all the initiatives had to come from the federal level through the implementing agencies.