Farmer waters plants in Mauritania using a hose

Great Green Wall 

© IFAD/Ibrahima Kebe Diallo
Under the leadership of the African Union, the Green Great Wall (GGW) brings together African countries and international partners in one of the world’s most ambitious land restoration initiatives. 

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Home to over 135 million people, the Sahel is a land of vast opportunities and difficult challenges. It has abundant human, cultural and natural resources, offering tremendous potential for rapid growth. However, deep-rooted environmental and socio-economic challenges – from stability and food security to desertification and climate change – affect the prosperity and peace of this region.  

It envisages an integrated ecosystem management approach with a mosaic of different land use and production systems. By 2030, it aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land, sequester 250 million tons of carbon and create 10 million green jobs. Since 2021, a GGW Accelerator has coordinated support to GGW Member States and institutions to speed up its progress.  

What IFAD does

  • IFAD is a core partner in the Great Green Wall initiative. Through our programme of loans and grants, we coordinate our actions with other partners to scale up the GGW. 

  • We share knowledge among GGW stakeholders, including the private sector and farmers’ organizations. We map innovation and digital transformation technologies and are developing a platform to share this knowledge among GGW decision-makers. 

  • We support more than 30 projects across the 11 GGW countries. For example, IGREENFIN will provide financial and technical assistance for green agricultural investments in three GGW countries. The Africa Integrated Climate Risk Management Programme restores degraded land and strengthens rural resilience in six GGW countries. 

  • We work with FAO and WFP to implement a regional joint programme for emergency and rural development. The SD3C revitalizes economic activities and food systems in the Sahel, promoting stability and prosperity in the region. 

Experts

Janie Rioux

Senior Technical Specialist, Global Environmental Facility Coordinator

[email protected]
Maxime Thibon

Senior Technical Specialist, Climate Change, Green Climate Fund

[email protected]
Pierre Yves Guedez

Lead Multilateral Climate & Environmental Funds (AF, GCF, GEF)

[email protected]

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