BY TALABI SIMEON ABIMBOLA
William Troost-Ekong, captain of Nigeria’s national football team and player for Saudi Pro League’s Al-Kholood FC, has been named the latest Sport4Land Champion by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
The announcement was made on World Football Day 2025, highlighting Troost-Ekong’s role in using sport to raise awareness about desertification, land degradation, and drought.
Troost-Ekong joins a select group of athletes advocating for land restoration and climate resilience, including Moroccan judoka Asmaa Niang, Togolese hurdler Naomi Akakpo, Dutch Paralympian Jitske Visser, and Ivorian football captain Franck Kessié.
Together, they promote sustainable development and efforts to protect the environment worldwide.
As a Sport4Land Champion, Troost-Ekong will leverage his influence to support land restoration initiatives across Africa and globally.
Through community outreach and youth engagement, he aims to inspire urgent action to reverse land degradation and safeguard the livelihoods of millions dependent on healthy land.
“Every second, the world loses the equivalent of four football fields of healthy land,” Troost-Ekong said.
“I want to use my platform to build awareness of the impact desertification is having in Africa – and the solutions to reverse it.”
Troost-Ekong’s foundation, launched in 2024, supports grassroots environmental projects, education, and local development.
His efforts align with the Great Green Wall initiative, which seeks to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land, capture 250 million tonnes of carbon, and create 10 million green jobs by 2030.
UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw praised Troost-Ekong’s leadership, saying, “He embodies the spirit of Sport4Land – determined, visionary and rooted in his community.
His involvement will highlight the urgent need for land restoration around the world.”
Troost-Ekong’s first major engagement as a Sport4Land Champion will be a charity football match in Lagos on June 22, 2025, held alongside Desertification and Drought Day.
The event will celebrate sport’s power to unite people and promote meaningful environmental action under the theme “Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities.”