The Great Green Wall of central Africa is proof that not all walls are bad.
The Africa-led international project (no, not yet another well-meaning initiative from a Western charity, although many international charities have pledged money towards it) is part way through an ambitious tree planting project in the drought-stricken, global warming-devastated area of the Sahel, just to the south of the Sahara Desert. Spanning 11 countries and 8,000 kilometres, the 15 km wide band is being planted with drought-resistent native trees like acacias in an attempt to stall desertification.
The trees provide shade, and help to hold water in the soil, allowing long-dried up wells to function again, and allowing vegetable gardens to flourish in what was once a desert. Local economies have been rejuvenated, women in particular have good jobs in agriculture, and whole villages once abandoned have been re-established.
The great Green Wall is a success story in a continent in dire need of good news.
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