Once a desolate landscape, the Simiri plateau in Niger is now a small paradise for fauna and flora. The transformation is part of the African Union's Great Green Wall project, which aims to restore 100 million hectares of dry land by 2030 along an 8,000-kilometre (5,000-mile) strip stretching from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east. By 2030, Niger aims to "green" 3.6 million hectares of land, which represents more than 37.5 percent of its territory, said Maisharou Abdou, the Green Wall's director-general in Niger. In addition to halting desertification, the Great Green Wall also focuses on access to water, solar energy and socio-economic development including market gardening, fish farming, cattle rearing and poultry farms to provide employment for the local population. However, the jihadist attacks that have plagued several Great Green Wall countries could jeopardize the project.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 24, 2021 08:04 UTC