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The soil engineer Newton Jibunoh has created a reality television show, Desert Warriors, to highlight the dangers of desertification in Nigeria and Niger.

What gave you the idea for Desert Warriors?

The idea came out of a number of solo expeditions I made through the Sahara desert, starting in 1965 when I had just finished my university education in England. But it was only when I went back across the Sahara in 1999 that I realised the effects of desertification and how climate change had become a global issue affecting millions of Africans.

I realised that one of the best ways to get Africans to know and experience the Sahara desert is through a reality television show that would bring the whole topic of climate change and desertification into African living rooms.

How does the show work?

Before the actual expedition, 50 selected participants will be invited to become contestants on an endurance reality show in Agadez, Niger. For a month they’ll be put through endurance exercises and physical fitness challenges. They’ll then work with Niger’s Ministry of Environment on various green projects such as tree planting. TV viewers will choose the final 15 contestants, who will become the official Desert Warriors. These individuals will drive across the Sahara, travelling from Nigeria and ending up in the UK. We’re canvassing for participants right now. The series will be broadcast in Niger and Nigeria from March.

Why should Africans care about desert encroachment when there are more pressing issues, such as war and famine?

If desertification is not tackled soon it will render Africa a desolate continent. Its effects will lead to water shortages, low food production, forced migration, the spread of disease and armed conflicts. Desertification is equally, if not more, lethal than the melting of the ice caps and the disappearance of the rainforests.

How has being a soil engineer helped in your exploration of the Sahara?

It has taught me about the dynamics of sand – the shifting-sand phenomenon – as well as helping me understand which trees have the highest rate of survival in the desert. Based on my understanding of the soil textures and formations, I believe there are petroleum, gas, gold and possibly diamond deposits in the Sahara.

Where in Africa has desert encroachment had the worst impact?

Lake Chad is drying up. It has lost 70 per cent of its water in the last 30 years. The lake borders four countries – Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. The people who live there are suffering untold hardships.

Has your organisation, FADE, had any success in slowing down desert encroachment?

In Makoda village in Kano State, Nigeria, we have established a tree-planting programme. We have also empowered Nigerian women through the use of cottage industries that utilise local products from these trees. To nurture the trees we provided a borehole, complete with generator power to pump the water. The result is that a nearly abandoned village has now come back to life.