The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved a grant of $3.98 million for the African Development Bank to implement the "Southern Africa Great Green Wall Accelerator," across Southern Africa, to tackle desertification in the Kalahari and Namib Deserts as part of the Great Green Wall initiative. The approval took place on 11 June.
The funds will promote development of productive and resilient landscapes that advance inclusive economic growth and environmental sustainability across the region. It will also catalyse technical, political, and financial support to strengthen communities and ecosystems through nature-based solutions and green-economy approaches.
The African Development Bank will implement the project in its role as GEF agency, while the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will execute it over three years with the 16 members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The initiative aims to establish a regional institutional mechanism and a multi-sectoral coordination platform to drive the implementation of the GGWI, including development of a costed GGWI investment plan for the region and a robust pipeline of projects. The projects will be structured around six pillars: water access, renewable energy, resilient ecosystems, climate-resilient infrastructure, sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems, and inclusive economic development.
Dr Laouali Garba, Bank Group Division Manager for the Agricultural Research, Production and Sustainability Division, said: "The approval of this GEF grant is a significant step toward accelerating implementation of the Great Green Wall Initiative in Southern Africa. By supporting the development of a coordinated regional framework and a pipeline of bankable investments, this project will help scale up nature-based solutions that address land degradation, strengthen climate resilience, and generate sustainable livelihoods. It demonstrates the value of integrated approaches that deliver environmental and socio-economic benefits at scale."
The African Union's GGWI Strategy (2024-2034) advances Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Rio Conventions. By promoting resilient landscapes, sustainable natural resource management, and climate adaptation, the initiative also supports the African Development Bank Group's Fourth Cardinal Point on building climate-resilient infrastructure and sustainable value chains. It further complements existing investments in the region, including those supported by the Bank Group, Climate Investment Funds (CIF), and the GEF in the Zambezi River Basin and beyond.
In the SADC region, the initiative builds on lessons learned from rollout of the Great Green Wall Initiative in the Sahel region, where integrated landscape restoration efforts have helped restore over 20 million hectares of degraded land, and create more than 350,000 jobs.
