Recently, Somalia pledged $10 million to tackle climate change, desertification and protect biodiversity in the Horn of Africa country in terms of the Great Green Wall Initiative, according to Somalian leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
"Today, we officially launch the Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) in Somalia and announce our financial commitment of $10 million, which will be part of our country's allocation from the adaptation fund in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development," Mohamud said in the capital Mogadishu.
The president underlined the importance of the project, adding that it is a “significant milestone in our country’s commitment to address climate change and environmental degradation that has caused so much suffering to our people."
Aside from Somalia, 22 other African states take part in the Great Green Wall Initiative, including countries of the Sahara, Sahel, Horn of Africa and Southern Africa drylands, according to the website of the initiative.
The Great Green Wall Initiative was launched in 2007 by the African Union. The project's objective is to "restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land; sequester 250 million tons of carbon and create 10 million green jobs by 2030," the website states.
The implementation of the initiative began in Niger, Mali, Ethiopia and Eritrea in 2007, with other countries joining in 2014. Currently, the Great Green Wall has greatly improved the fertility of Sahelian lands and covers 156 million hectares, according to the website.