The African Development Bank (AfDB) has released $267 million to finance the implementation of the Priority Investment Program (PIP) a 14.8-billion-dollar program for Sahel Region. The programme is intended to support development needs in governance, security, economic resilience, and infrastructure in the Sahel region. AfDB plans to finance two priority areas: “Resilience and Development” and “Infrastructure”, advocating for major regional initiatives, such as the regional “Desert to Power” project and the Great Green Wall.
The “Desert to Power” initiative spans 11 countries: Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti, Senegal and Chad to install 10 gigawatts of solar capacity between now and 2030.Access to Energy is among the Big High 5 goals of the AFDB.The Great Green Wall, launched a decade ago aims to promote climate-smart solutions to rejuvenate degraded landscapes and provide food security and jobs for the people living in Africa’s Sahel region
PIP is expected to improve the living conditions of people in cross-border areas by ensuring better access to water and sanitation, by building the resilience of agricultural communities to food insecurity, and through conflict prevention measures. The Sahel G5 was set up in February 2014 and include Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger to promote cooperation on security, economic resilience, infrastructure development, and management of water resources. Nearly 80% of land in the Sahel, where the Great Green Wall is taking root, are degraded. The situation will reportedly worsen as temperatures are expected to rise by 3 °C to 5 °C by 2050.
