The 2023 World Bamboo Day took place on Wednesday, December 13, at the Abuja Continental Hotel, with the theme, “Environmental Restoration and Job Creation.”
Organized by Nigeria’s Ministry of Environment and co-sponsored by the China-General Chamber of Commerce in Nigeria, the event was attended by Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal; Cui Guangzhen, Director-General of the China General Chamber of Commerce in Nigeria; State Commissioners of Environment, students and stakeholders in the Bamboo industry.
In his welcome remarks, the minister said Bamboo is an important economic plant in Nigeria and urged farmers and stakeholders to intensify the planting of bamboo plants because it reduces carbon emission and serves as a raw material for producing several items.
He pledged the readiness of the Nigerian government to support the Bamboo industry through programs and initiatives aimed at providing a conducive atmosphere for the sector to achieve its full potential.
Speaking on the China Bamboo Success Story, Mr Cui Guangzhen, said Chinese Bamboo products are used for the production of several items such as building materials, construction, furniture, kitchen utensils, beverages, food, charcoal, papermaking, pharmaceutical and chemical products, handicrafts, biomass energy products, among others.
He noted that the Chinese government through the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued a “Three-Year Action Plan to Accelerate the Development of Replacing Plastic with Bamboo”. It is proposed that by 2025, the “bamboo instead of plastic” industrial system will be initially established.
While encouraging the use of Bamboo to reduce carbon emissions, Mr Cui listed Anji County and Zhejiang Fenghui as the leading Bamboo companies in China, and Chishui City in Guizhou Province, as the largest bamboo production town, reputed for building the largest bamboo recycling demonstration base in China.
Nigeria is among the largest Bamboo tree producers in Africa and experts say if harnessed properly, the bamboo industry has the potential to increase job creation, revenue generation, and foreign exchange earnings, improve conservation, and reduce deforestation and carbon emission.
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