The Great Green Wall is a pan-African initiative to restore and sustainably manage land in the Sahel-Saharan region in order to address both poverty and land degradation. First envisioned by the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2005 and strongly championed by President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, the Initiative gained significant momentum in 2007 with adoption of African Union Declaration 137 VIII, approving the “Decision on the Implementation of the Green Wall for the Sahara Initiative”. In June 2010, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan signed a convention in Ndjamena, Chad, to create the Great Green Wall (GGW) Agency. In more recent years the vision has evolved into an integrated ecosystem management approach.
Photo: Razingrim A.
The Great Green Wall initiative has revived interest in Sustainable Land Management in the Sahel and North of the Sahara and has galvanised action to implement the UNCCD. It has helped to shed a spotlight on recent innovations in SLM in the region and at the same time has leveraged a high degree of political will and leadership from member States. In response public finance for SLM actions has increased and several donors have also mobilised substantial investments, offering opportunities for rapid progress. However, degradation in the region is often the outcome of past policy and investment failures and there are concerns in some quarters that current strategies may not depart significantly enough from past mistakes.
The purpose of this project is greater implementation of policies for sustainable land management in the Sahel (Great Green Wall (GGW) countries) through enhanced investment, intersectoral coordination, and engagement of marginalized groups.
The projects components are:
Component 1: Adaptive management & Learning
Component 2: Participation, diversity and equity
Component 3: Investment for Policy Implementation
Donor(s): Global Environment Facility
Partner countries: Senegal, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti
SDG targets: SDG 15 – Life on Land
Aichi Targets: AT. 15 – Ecosystems Restored and Resilience Enhanced.
