The document discusses the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative, an African partnership aimed at addressing desertification, land degradation, drought, climate change, and biodiversity loss in dryland regions. The Initiative seeks to improve resilience of human and natural systems through sustainable land management, development, and improving living conditions. It is coordinated by the African Union Commission and involves specialized agencies, countries, and RECs. To date it has established national action plans, restored land, and implemented projects focused on regeneration, livelihoods, and reducing pressures on natural resources. Moving forward, greater coordination, inclusion of more countries, research, education, and engaging youth will help strengthen the Initiative.

1. BEAT FARMING SOUTHERN
AFRICA CONFERENCE
13th -17th APRIL 2015
SIDE EVENT
The Great Green Wall
for Southern Africa ?

2. The Great Green Wall for
the Sahara and the Sahel
Initiative
An African response to Desertification,
Land Degradation, drought, Climate
Change and loss of biodiversity

3. • The close interaction
between
Desertification, Land
Degradation, Drought,
Climate Change,
Biodiversity loss in
drylands of the Sahara
and Sahel Region
I. The GGWSSI: Building block

4. Roots
• DLDD + CC + Loss of BD Food insecurity
Poverty & Global Insecurity in Dry zones of Africa.
• Climate forecasts for Africa: serious risks of
expansion of arid zones in Africa undermining
efforts to combat poverty on the Continent.
• NAPs-CCD, NAPAs and others are not up to
expectations, be they in the area of natural
resources conservation or poverty alleviation.

5. The Stories

6. Political Response
• Need for an African Partnership supported by
the international community, in order to stop
and reverse trends in land degradation and loss
of biodiversity, especially in the arid regions of
Africa through a coherent and common set of
interventions
• This African Partnership to address the challenge
of DLDD, CC and loss of biodiversity is called the “
Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel
Initiative »

7. The idea of a wall was a politicians
means of simplying the message to
enable understanding, you technicians
, do the work’

8. The Great Green Wall is a
metaphor to:
• Sensitize development actors and policy makers
on the specificities and the urgency in arid zones;
• Amplify local environment management and
sustainable development good practices
• Implement a mosaic of integrated interventions
related to multi-sectoral issues affecting the lives
of populations in Sahel-Saharan zones in Africa.
• Identify long-term solutions to the pressing
challenges of desertification/land degradation
and drought.

9. Shifting the concept: from focus on tree planting to
an integrated (SLWM) arid zone development
approach
ELVIS diagram

10. Objective
• To improve the resilience of human and
natural systems in the Sahel-Saharan zone to
CC through a sound ecosystems’
management, sustainable development of
land resources, protection of rural heritage
and improvement of the living conditions and
livelihoods of populations living in these areas

11. Specific objectives
• Improve the living conditions of populations residing in
the arid zones of Africa and reduce their vulnerability to
climate change, climate variability and drought
• Improve the state and health of ecosystems in the arid
zones of Africa and their resilience to climate change,
climate variability and drought
• Advocate & Mobilize resources for the implementation of
the Great Green Wall Initiative through the establishment
of efficient partnerships between national, Regional and
international stakeholders

12. Operational objectives
OO1. Actively influence relevant international,
continental, regional, national and local
mechanisms and actors, in order to tackle
efficiently the issues of DLDD in Dry lands .
OO2. Work at creating an enabling environment
for solutions aiming at establishing the
populations of arid zones on their lands (zero
migration) and ensure their fair, equitable and
peaceful access to land resources.

13. Operational objectives
OO3. Improve the knowledge on social,
economic, biophysical and cultural dynamics
of arid zones
OO4. Mobilize financial and technological
resources at national, bilateral and
multilateral levels and improve their focus
and coordination in order to increase their
impact and efficiency.

14. The GGWSSI Practically
• AUC overall Coordination and
Politico- Diplomatic Leaders
• Specialised implementing
agency, PAGGW
• National Agencies (
Designated Ministries)
• NEPAD- TerraAfrica
• RECs ( CILSS, ECOWAS, UMOA
)

15. CURENT State : Common Vision
• Harmonised Regional
implementation strategy
• General Result Framework
• Common Capacity building
strategy
• Common Communication
Strategy and Plateform
• National Action Plans
• Regional Steering Committee

16. Current State: Regional Programmes
More than USD 2 Billion in Support
– The World Bank/GEF /TERRAFIRCA Sahel And West Africa
Programme ( 12 countries): BRICKS ( USD 1 Billion)
– The Global Mechanism ( FLEUVE Project
– FAO (Action against desertification)
– KEW London: Trans boundary Programme
– APEFE : Capacity Building Programme in Burkina Faso
– SOS SAHEL: Regional Regeneration, Livelihood and
Resilience Building Programmes

17. Current State: National level
Internal mobilization and investment of +
USD 3 Billion
• Development, adoption and launching
of National Action Plans
• Establishment of National Agencies
with full functional offices (Senegal,
Chad, Niger, Mauritania, ( BF,The
Gambia, Mali, Erithrea in progress)
• With concrete actions in the field.

18. At national level
• 10nationalGGWActionPlans(Burkina
Faso,Djibouti,Eritrea,Ethiopia,
Gambia,Mali,Niger,Nigeria,Senegal,
Chad)
• AProjectonEcotourism(Senegal)
• MarketGardenprojects
• LandregenerationinNiger,Nigeria
• Oasisregenerationprojects,Chad
Grassroot level activities

19. At national Level
• Planting11millionnativetreeshave
contributedtotherestorationof
27,000hectaresofdegradedlandin
Senegal
• Constructionofinfrastructurehelps
reducinghumanandanimal
pressureonnaturalresources
• Reservedareasservingforfodder
cropsduring“lean”season
Grass root level activities

20. Women and young girls harvesting pepper at Daura, Nigeria
III.Results/Achievements

21. At national Level
• Vegetable gardens and income-generating activities
Vegetable gardens, Senegal
III.Results/Achievements

22. Challenges
• Initial scepticism
• Need for
increased
coordination
• Need for
harmonisation of
of initiatives in
support of the
Prpgramme

23. • Keeninterest(national,international)
• Partnershipsandestablishmentofa“GreatGreenWallcommunity"
• Participation/Realeffortsforcivilsocietyinvolvement
IV. Lessons learnt: successes

24. Way forward
• Coordination unit (
functional and active)
• Re – thinking
implementation strategy
• Get ‘les pays
limitrophes’ on Board
• Research & Education
• Young People focus
• Make it Pan African

25. Way forward
IS THE SOUTHERN AFRICA REGION READY FOR A
GREAT GREEN WALL / LANDSCAPE ???
WHATS IS THE WAY FOR WARD?

26. Contact The African Union Commission
ZIKOMO KWAMBIRI
Thanks for Listening
elvispault@africa-
union.org
www.auc.int/great-
green-wall