At the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, development partners, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), called for a significant increase in financing to achieve the Great Green Wall’s 2030 targets. The initiative, led by the African Union, seeks to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land, sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon, and create 10 million jobs across 11 countries in the Sahel region, stretching from Senegal to Djibouti. Current funding comes from member states and development partners, but the resources remain insufficient to meet the ambitious goals.
Ibrahim Sow, special advisor to the Senegalese president on environmental issues, highlighted that despite support from multiple countries and multilateral development banks, the financing needs of the Great Green Wall are still unmet. He moderated a COP30 session titled ‘Scaling up finance for the Great Green Wall: from climate ambition to integrated action for Land, Nature and People,’ which was organized by the Pan-African Agency for the Great Green Wall, the African Development Bank Group, and the World Food Programme. The session focused on strategies to mobilize large-scale funding, including private and innovative financial resources.
Since its launch, the Great Green Wall has made notable progress. In January 2021, €19 billion in contributions were pledged during a roundtable in Paris alongside the One Planet Summit, with the AfDB committing around $6.5 billion through ongoing programs. According to Mr. Garba, a former Nigerien Minister of the Environment, the initiative has moved from vision to implementation over the past 15 years, restoring millions of hectares and creating thousands of green jobs. However, significant gaps in financing and capacity remain, requiring stronger collaboration between African governments, development partners, and the private sector to meet the 2030 objectives.
Sékou Koné, technical advisor to the Malian Ministry of the Environment, emphasized the importance of political will, legal frameworks to protect investments, and an attractive economic environment to encourage additional funding, including private sector investment. He cited the recently launched Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) at COP30, endorsed by 74 countries, as an example of South-South cooperation supporting climate initiatives. Strengthening institutional capacity, human resources, and organizational structures was also highlighted as critical to ensure the agency can operate effectively.
Al-Hamndou Dorsouma, AfDB’s manager for Climate and Green Growth, reaffirmed the bank’s strong support for the Great Green Wall. He stressed that, beyond concessional public resources, the agency should develop bankable projects in land restoration and climate adaptation to attract innovative financing such as blended finance, carbon markets, green bonds, and climate funds. He cited the Climate Action Window under the 16th replenishment of the African Development Fund, which mobilized over $450 million in 2023, supporting 41 projects worth $322 million, including initiatives in the Great Green Wall region.
Participants also underscored the need for greater involvement of local communities and authorities, as well as strengthening national institutions to enable direct access to climate finance. Close coordination among partners was deemed essential to avoid duplication of efforts and maximize the impact of the initiative.
