2030 – Making the Great Green Wall in the Sahel a success; scientific research in action

The first progress report on the impact of the Great Green Wall (GGW) initiative in the Sahel
(September 2021) highlighted the urgency of coordinated actions involving all stakeholders
if the ambitions announced in 2007 were to be achieved. Today, these actions have fallen
short. To support the Pan Africa Agency of the Great Green Wall, the GGW Accelerator was
created in 2021 to ensure more coordinated support to the member states, organisations and
institutions of the GGW through a multi-player, structured, five-pillar approach.
This article highlights the importance of co-constructing more accurate knowledge and
developing processes to further GGW projects, in the light of these aims. It provides various
examples of projects demonstrating the role of scientific research in implementing and
achieving the goals of the GGW.