The Great Green Wall is a movement involving more than 20 countries across the continent of Africa, with the project aiming to plant a line of trees and greenery across the continent from Senegal to Djibouti. Since 2007, under the leadership of the African Union, the members of the African Community have risen enthusiastically to the challenge of building what could be, the next wonder of the world.
Positive aims for the ambitious project include:
- To restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land.
- To sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon.
- To create 10 million jobs in rural areas.
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The end goal for The Green Wall is to eventually span across 8,000km of the width of Africa, stretching from Senegal all the way to Djibouti, forming a transitional zone between the arid Sahara Desert to the north and the belt of humid savannas to the south, with hope to create a barrier against climate change. Already, with the project around 15% underway after a decade, the Wall has helped to accomplish many extraordinary things for the African Community. Here are the Top 5 achievements so far:
SENEGAL - 12 million drought resistant trees have been planted in less than a decade.
ETHIOPIA - 15 million hectares of degraded land restored.
BURKINA FASO - 3 million hectares of land have been rehabilitated through local practice used by communities called the Zaï.
NIGERIA - 5 million hectares of degraded land restored.
NIGER - 5 million hectares of land restored, delivering an additional 500,000 tonnes of grain per year. Enough to feed 2.5 million people.
The Wall promises to be a compelling solution to the many urgent threats not only facing the African Continent, but the global community as a whole – notably climate change, drought, famine, conflict and migration. In addition The Wall supports 15 out of 17 of the SDG’s (sustainable development goals) set by the UN, including fighting poverty and hunger, building local resilience to climate change, improving health and well-being, creating jobs, boosting economic opportunities and much much more.
Once complete, the Great Green Wall will be the largest living structure on the planet, 3 times the size of the Great Barrier Reef.