A Continental Response to Desertification
The Great Green Wall initiative represents Africa's bold response to the advancing Sahara Desert and the climate crisis affecting millions across the Sahel region. Launched in 2007 by the African Union, this ambitious project aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, creating a 8,000-kilometer living barrier of trees and vegetation stretching across the entire width of Africa from Senegal to Djibouti. Far more than simply planting trees, the project integrates sustainable land management practices that revitalize soils, restore water sources, and create agricultural opportunities in regions where extreme poverty and food insecurity have driven conflict and migration. Each participating country implements locally appropriate interventions based on indigenous knowledge and drought-resistant species native to their specific ecosystems.
Impact and Progress
Despite challenges, the Great Green Wall has already transformed significant portions of the Sahel landscape, with Ethiopia alone planting billions of trees and restoring 15 million hectares of degraded land. In Senegal, over 11 million drought-resistant trees now thrive on formerly barren land, while Niger has witnessed the restoration of 5 million hectares through farmer-managed natural regeneration techniques. Beyond environmental restoration, the initiative has created thousands of green jobs in rural communities, particularly for women and young people involved in nurseries, land restoration, and sustainable agriculture enterprises. International support has grown substantially, with the project receiving billions in funding commitments from development partners who recognize its potential to address not only environmental degradation but also poverty, insecurity, and climate-driven migration—demonstrating how ecological restoration can simultaneously build resilience against climate change while creating economic opportunity in one of the world's most vulnerable regions. Shutdown123