The African Development Fund (AfDF) has approved a $9.48 million grant to support a new regional initiative aimed at safeguarding the Sahel’s wetlands and helping local communities build resilience against worsening climate impacts. The funding comes through the Fund’s Climate Action Window.
The programme, titled Community and Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation in the Wetlands of the Sahel Catchment Basins, will be implemented across Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Senegal. These countries host some of the Sahel’s most vulnerable ecosystems, which are increasingly threatened by land degradation, population pressures, and climate variability.
The project focuses on four key areas. The first involves assessing the vulnerability of eight major wetlands and working with communities to promote conservation and green economic activities, especially those benefiting women and young people. The second area will strengthen the sustainable management of natural resources by improving water governance, promoting agroforestry, supporting fisheries, and reinforcing local governance structures.
A third component aims to enhance climate information services by boosting the capacity of the Climate Commission for the Sahel Region. This includes improving climate data collection and developing localised early warning systems to help communities anticipate and respond to climate-related risks. The final component will establish a regional project management unit to oversee coordination, administration, monitoring, and knowledge-sharing across the participating countries.
Interventions will focus on specific ecological sites: Oubri and Kuilsé in Burkina Faso; Bougouni-Yanfolila in Mali; the Ramsar-listed Dallol Bosso and Mare de Tabalak wetlands in Niger; and the Senegal River Biosphere Reserve in Senegal.
According to the AfDF, the initiative is designed not only to protect critical wetlands but also to strengthen local livelihoods and promote long-term climate resilience across one of Africa’s most climate-exposed regions.
