The Great Green Wall

The Great Green Wall (GGW) is an African-led initiative launched by the African Union in 2007. Its goal is to create an 8,000-kilometer-long and 15-kilometer-wide zone of restored landscapes across the Sahel region, from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east. This project aims not only to curb desertification but also to improve the living conditions of the population by creating jobs, generating income, and promoting peace. The GGW focuses on restoring degraded land through various methods such as reforestation, sustainable agriculture, and natural regeneration. Local communities are actively involved to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the measures. To date, over 25 million hectares of land have been restored, more than 26 million trees have been planted, and approximately 20,000 jobs have been created.

Despite this progress, the initiative faces significant challenges. Funding constraints, political instability in some participating countries, and coordination problems hamper its implementation. Of the required USD 33 billion, only USD 2.5 billion has been provided so far, despite international donors pledging USD 19 billion. Furthermore, the GGW is often mistakenly perceived as a mere reforestation project. In fact, it pursues an integrated landscape approach that encompasses not only tree planting but also biodiversity promotion, soil fertility improvement, and climate change adaptation. The initiative emphasizes the importance of traditional and local techniques, such as natural regeneration, successfully practiced by farmers in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. These methods have proven effective and are now to be scaled up throughout the region.