45% of lands in Africa affected by desertification, drought, official in Côte d’Ivoire says

ABIDJAN – Parfait Kouadio, the chief of staff to the Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition in Côte d’Ivoire, said on Wednesday that approximately 45 per cent of lands in Africa have been affected by desertification and drought. 

Kouadio underlined the necessity of paying an urgent attention to the environmental, social and economic crisis in the continent due to land degradation, All Africa reported. 

The official in Côte d’Ivoire was speaking at the inauguration of the international government experts team of the tenth extraordinary session of the African ministerial conference concerned with environment in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, which kicked off on Tuesday and will last for two days.

This session is themed “raising aspiration of Africa to combat land degradation, desertification and drought.”