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Africa’s Green Belt – often referred to as the Great Green Wall – is one of the continent’s most ambitious environmental and humanitarian projects.
What is Africa’s Green Belt?
The Great Green Wall of Africa is an 11-country initiative aimed at restoring degraded land across the Sahel, a semi-arid region south of the Sahara Desert. It spans from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east, across the entire width of the continent.
Goal:
- Restore 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
- Create 10 million green jobs.
- Sequester 250 million tons of carbon.
Current Progress:
- As of 2024, The Great Green Wall initiative in Africa has restored over 20 million hectares of degraded land. That’s equivalent to approximately 49 MILLION FOOTBALL FIELDS. Countries like Senegal, Ethiopia, and Nigeria have made notable progress. In Senegal alone, over 11 million trees have been planted along a 330-mile stretch.
- Some regions are experimenting with “assisted natural regeneration”, where farmers protect naturally sprouting trees rather than planting new ones.
More Than Trees:
It includes planting drought-resistant trees, such as acacias, and reintroducing native vegetation to improve soil fertility and water retention. But the project isn’t just a literal wall of trees. It incorporates sustainable land management, water harvesting, agroforestry, and community-led farming practices.
Benefits – Climate Change Mitigation and Socioeconomic Impacts:
- The wall combats desertification, loss of biodiversity, and forced migration due to land degradation and climate-related resource loss.
- It improves food security, livelihoods, and reduces conflicts over resources in vulnerable regions.
- It has empowered women and youth by involving them in forest restoration, farming, and local culture/craft and fair-trade initiatives.
Funding and Support:
- Backed by the African Union, the UN, World Bank, Green Climate Fund, EU, and various NGOs and private partners.
Challenges:
- Funding shortfalls, political instability, and extreme weather events slow progress.
- Coordinating across multiple countries with different governance systems is complex.
Why This Matters:
Africa’s Green Belt isn’t just about trees – it’s about resilience, regeneration, and hope in the face of climate crisis. It is considered one of the most important living symbols of humankind’s commitment to restoring the Earth.
