Riyadh (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – European Commission promotes Regreening Africa Initiative with €15 million investment.
The European Commission has launched the second phase of the Regreening Africa programme, backed by a new €15 million investment. The announcement comes at the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16) in Riyadh.
According to the EU Commission, building on the success of its first phase, this endeavour aims to fight land degradation, enhance community livelihoods and climate resilience, and restore ecosystems across the Sahel and Horn of Africa.
What is the significance of the EU’s Regreening Africa programme?
Regreening Africa is a critical programme in the EU’s support of the Great Green Wall, an AU-EU Global Gateway Investment Package Flagship at the regional level.
From 2017 to 2023, Regreening Africa presented the power of community-driven action by kickstarting restoration action on almost 1 million hectares of degraded land and gaining over 500,000 households across eight nations. This large-scale transformation was accomplished through inclusive collaborations with communities, governments, NGOs, and research organisations. The programme presented innovative tools such as the Regreening Africa App, which assigned 150,000 farmers to observe and adapt restoration practices.
How will phase ii support vulnerable communities in Africa?
It will include scaling up and out: engaging an additional 200,000 smallholder farming and pastoral households in adopting sustainable regreening practices while influencing key policies and Unlocking incentives for restoration: expanding green enterprises, tree-based value chains, and youth- and women-focused employment opportunities.
As reported by the commission, the programme will concentrate on Somalia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, and potentially Niger, cooperating with some of the region’s most vulnerable peoples to the effects of climate change and desertification. Phase II focuses on restoring degraded lands, supporting community resilience, and enhancing livelihoods through sustainable land administration practices and innovative regreening strategies.
In his remarks, EU Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall stated: “With this new investment the EU will support local communities and protect people’s livelihoods by reviving degraded soils. Because healthy soils are the foundation of everything – how and where we live, the food we eat, fresh water and a stable climate. At the UNCCD COP16 negotiations in Riyadh and beyond, the EU is committed to working together with international partners to restore and protect land and soils.”
