As fertile land degrades and desertification increases, agricultural productivity declines, depriving smallholder farmers of their primary means of subsistence and income. This in turn triggers human migration and exacerbates conflicts over diminishing resources. 

By restoring drylands, through the scaling and investment of sustainable actions and practices such as climate-smart agriculture and nature-based solutions, the GGWI promotes healthy ecosystems and robust, well-functioning landscapes. This will in turn improve soil fertility, increase water retention and conserve biodiversity which will further enhance resilience against the impacts of climate change, enabling communities to cope with climate shocks and stress. This will help to stabilize the region, both economically and environmentally, and thereby forge a path toward sustainable development in some of the most vulnerable parts of the continent.

Origins

The original notion of the Great Green Wall came about in 2007 with a goal to reverse desertification and land degradation across a band of countries in the Sahara and Sahel. Initially pictured as an extraordinarily long band of narrow tree plantations, it has evolved since its inception to encompass a broader array of landscapes and communities across Africa. It has also expanded its membership to other parts of the continent. 

A new framework document for the GGW, with the AU at the helm as the coordination and regulatory agency, is important to enhance the coherence and continental scope of the GGW initiatives. It aims to harmonize various ongoing dryland restoration efforts by providing a unified framework that ensures all initiatives are well-coordinated and aligned with overarching continental goals.

Great Green Wall 2.0

The new GGWI Strategy is a 10-year strategic planning document (2024-2034) that defines the main priorities, intervention areas and action areas required to scale up land restoration and resilience activities associated with agricultural, grazing, and forest landscapes across the African continent. 

This GGWI Strategy is designed as a living strategic document to keep pace with the latest science, technological advancements and other global, continental, sub-regional and national developments. To do this a mid-term review process has been included, along with a robust monitoring and evaluation framework.

Four strategic intervention axes have been identified in the new strategy to support the achievement of the GGWI vision and objectives: 

1. Enhancing leadership, governance and political commitment.
2. Adopting approaches toward transformative restoration and resilient ecosystem management and sustainable development.
3. Enhancing the implementation of resilient landscape restoration through resource mobilisation, partnerships, inclusion, knowledge exchange and capacity development.
4. Leveraging existing efforts and knowledge systems.

This Strategy does not intend to replace existing institutions or set up new structures. It has been developed to enhance existing initiatives and to strengthen coherence and coordination across plans, policies and projects. 

The GGWI Strategy proposes considerations for the governance of this strategic framework and will help to define the institutional arrangements and mandates of its key players, including the AUC, the Pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAAGGW), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Member States. These entities are key to the implementation of GGW activities at the regional and national levels.

Multi-stakeholder collaboration and ownership is central to the effective implementation of the GGWI Strategy. The critical roles of key stakeholders are emphasized, including investment and development partners, local governments, scientists and academics, private sector and civil society organizations, with a particular focus on women and youth. This AU-owned strategy is distinctively farmer-centered, focusing on integrating the needs and voices of smallholder farmers into the core of its operations. The Strategy promotes interventions tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities of these different groupings. 

A wide range of intervention areas, activities and partnerships, if sufficiently resourced and adequately implemented, would set the GGWI on a new course as an instrument for resilient development in the dry zones of Africa and serve as an important pillar for the actualisation of the AU’s development Agenda 2063.

Endorsement and the road to implementation

The GGWI Strategy was developed based on the premise of creating an evidence- and experience-based document built on inclusive consultative sessions and endorsement procedures. It was formally adopted and endorsed in February 2024 at the AU Heads of State Summit by all of Africa’s member countries. 

To expedite its effective implementation, the GGWI Strategy outlines suggested actions for immediate action. This includes activities to promote inclusivity and responsibilities within the steering committee; enhance coordination among the GGWI regional entities; promote sensitisation at different scales; and mobilise resources to support planning and execution.

What’s next: Launching the Strategy

While the adoption of this policy framework is a significant achievement for the continent and a milestone for the AUC, its effective implementation is of great importance. The 2024 Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit provided an opportune moment to officially launch this framework and to create high-level awareness around its core objectives. Wide scale support for its implementation and close policy linkages with other African policy frameworks are key to its successful execution.

The new Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) Strategy and its accompanying Ten-Year Implementation Framework (2024-2034), was developed by the African Union Commission (AUC), along with the technical and financial support of multiple partners including the European Union (EU), the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project.

Authors

• Olaf Westermann, Senior Technical Advisor for Climate Change, Catholic Relief Services
• Sabrina Trautman, Policy and Engagement Specialist, AICCRA
• Romy Chevallier, Policy and Engagement Specialist, AICCRA