By Ayomide Otitoju
At the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, development partners, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), called for a scale-up in financing to meet the 2030 goals of the African Union’s Great Green Wall Initiative.
The initiative aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land, sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon, and create 10 million jobs across 11 Sahel countries, from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east. It is currently funded through contributions from member states and development partners.
“Despite support from countries and institutions, including multilateral development banks such as AfDB and the World Bank, financing for the Great Green Wall remains insufficient,” said Ibrahim Sow, special advisor to the Senegalese president on environmental issues. Sow moderated a session on ‘Scaling up finance for the Great Green Wall: from climate ambition to integrated action for Land, Nature and People,’ organised by the Pan-African Agency for the Great Green Wall, AfDB, and the World Food Programme.
Since its launch, the initiative has restored millions of hectares and created thousands of green jobs, but significant gaps remain. Former Niger Environment Minister Mr. Garba noted, “To achieve its 2030 targets, enhanced collaboration between African governments, development partners, and the private sector is essential.”
Sékou Koné, technical advisor to the Malian Ministry of the Environment, emphasized that political will, legal frameworks, and an attractive investment environment are crucial for mobilizing private-sector support. He highlighted the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), recently launched at COP30, as an example of South-South cooperation.
Strengthening institutional capacity, human resources, and the operational structure of the Pan-African Agency were also identified as key priorities. Al-Hamndou Dorsouma, AfDB’s Manager for Climate and Green Growth, underscored the bank’s strong support for the initiative and encouraged the development of a pipeline of bankable projects in land restoration and climate adaptation.
Dorsouma highlighted AfDB’s Climate Action Window under the African Development Fund’s 16th replenishment, which mobilized over $450 million to support 41 projects, including beneficiaries in the Great Green Wall. He called for better coordination among partners and active involvement of local communities and authorities to improve access to climate finance.
The session concluded with a call for innovative financing approaches, including blended finance, carbon markets, green bonds, and climate funds, to bridge the Great Green Wall’s funding gap and accelerate its impact across the Sahel.
