In 2007, the African Union launched the Great Green Wall or Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel as a means to combat desertification in the Sahel region and curb the spread of the Sahara by planting a stretch of trees spanning the entire Sahel from Djibouti, Djibouti to Dakar, Senegal. The initial blueprint for the "wall" called for it to be 15 km (9 mi) wide and 7,775 km (4,831 mi) long, but the initiative has since grown to encompass countries in both northern and western Africa. Today, the modern Great Green Wall program promotes water harvesting techniques, greenery protection, and improved land use methods, with the goal of creating a patchwork of green and fertile landscapes across North Africa. The initiative's aim is to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land, capture 250 million tones of carbon dioxide, and create 10 million jobs by 2030.

This project was launched as a response to the combined impact of drought and natural resource degradation in rural regions. It aims to aid communities in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change while also enhancing food security. The population of the Sahel is projected to double by 2039, underscoring the significance of sustaining food production and preserving the environment in the area.

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