Did You Know? The Great Green Wall Just Got a US$500 Million Push

Have you heard of the Great Green Wall? If you haven’t, you’re not alone. It is one of the most ambitious restoration projects on Earth, and it’s African-led, yet it rarely makes our headlines.

Last week it got a serious boost. So let’s do this one “Did you know?” style.

Did you know…

…the Great Green Wall started in 2007? It was launched under the African Union to fight desertification, land degradation and drought across the Sahel, the strip of dry land stretching across Africa just south of the Sahara.

…the Sahel is warming faster than the rest of the world? According to the Capital FM report, it is heating up at about one and a half times the global average. And roughly two-thirds of its productive land is already degraded.

…land loss is pushing people from their homes? Degraded land, food insecurity and conflict together have displaced more than four million people across the region.

…a new programme announced on 7 October aims to restore 270,000 hectares? It is backed by US$78 million from the Global Environment Facility. With extra funding from the Green Climate Fund, IFAD, FAO and other partners, the total passes US$500 million.

…it covers nine countries? Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. About five million people are expected to benefit.

…Mali has the biggest target? 150,000 hectares across the Kayes, Nioro and Ségou regions. Niger follows with 55,000 hectares of farmland, woodland and grazing land. Ethiopia will restore 22,000 hectares and better manage another 40,000 hectares of natural forest.

…women are at the centre of some projects? In The Gambia, restored wetlands and forest corridors are expected to benefit nearly 800,000 people, most of them women. Women-led businesses are part of the plans in Nigeria’s Kebbi State and in Mauritania.

…the countries have set a 2030 goal? They have committed to bringing 30% of their degraded land under restoration by 2030.

Why I’m hopeful, and what I’ll be watching

What I like about this programme is that countries will work under one shared framework. They’ll plan together, measure results together and learn from each other. That is how restoration moves from scattered projects to real change across a landscape.

But you know me by now. I always ask what happens after the photo. Hectares “targeted” are not hectares restored. I’ve written about this with trees: seedlings planted is not a survival rate, and the right tree has to go in the right place. The same rules apply to the Sahel. Native species, community ownership and years of aftercare will decide whether this wall actually turns green.

There is a lesson for Kenya here too. Our own drylands cover most of the country. Restoration that works in Mali and Niger can teach us a lot about Turkana, Marsabit and Garissa.

Over to you

Wangari Maathai taught us that planting trees is a political act, and that ordinary people can change landscapes. The Great Green Wall is that idea at continental scale.

Did any of these facts surprise you? Which one would you share with a friend today? Tell me in the comments, then share this post so more people know the wall exists.

Source: Capital FM, 7 October 2026