By Oluyemi Israel
A new Eco Volunteer Portal was launched to register 560,000 young people who will take part in planting 560 million mangrove trees in Ogoniland and create thousands of green jobs.
This portal is part of a large project to help fight climate change, support the local economy, and encourage young people to take action for a cleaner environment.
The launch took place on Tuesday during International Youth Day 2025 in Port Harcourt.
The project will happen mainly in Ogoniland, which is in Rivers State, Nigeria.
It was led by the Eco-Citizen Ogoni Initiative (ECOI), with Pastor Nature Dumale as the coordinator.
The project also has support from Senator Ireti Kingibe, Deputy Chair of the Senate Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, and Mr. Victor Wilkinson Agih, Global Director of ECO2RUPPERS Africa Initiative.
Eco Volunteer Portal is a digital platform where youths can register to become volunteers known as Global Green Marshals.
It provides training in green skills, tracks the progress of the tree planting project, offers opportunities for youth-led businesses, and allows collaboration among volunteers in different areas.
The project plans to train youths in 56 wards across four local government areas of Ogoni, creating more than 500,000 jobs in sectors like clean energy, sustainable farming, aquaculture, and eco-friendly transport.
The portal also connects local youth efforts to wider African green movements and helps promote economic growth while restoring the environment.
The leaders said this project is important for Nigeria’s environmental goals and represents a new model where young people lead the way in protecting the planet.
They emphasized that by using digital tools and community action, the youths of Ogoni will not just plant trees but build a better future for themselves and the country.