Visit of the Ambassador of Mali to the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall: “to see this gigantic undertaking that our Heads of State wish to have for our peoples”

Nouakchott, 3 May 2017 — As part of his introductory contacts with the bodies in which Mali is a stakeholder, the Ambassador of Mali to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, His Excellency Mr Youba Ba, visited the headquarters of the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall this morning, in his words, “to see this gigantic undertaking that our Heads of State wish to have for our peoples.” He was received by Prof. Abdoulaye Dia, Executive Secretary of the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall, surrounded by his close associates. This first meeting was an opportunity for Ambassador Youba Ba to receive explanations, backed by figures, from the Executive Secretary about the Organisation he leads and of which Mali is a member.

The visit was an opportunity for Prof. Abdoulaye Dia to draw Ambassador Youba Ba’s attention to the need to establish in Mali a national Great Green Wall Agency, designed both to mobilise financial resources from technical and financial partners and to manage funds from certain initiatives, including the Green Climate Fund. Another concern, the question of the national Alliances to be set up for the development of the Great Green Wall, was also raised by the Executive Secretary. The aim is to bring together all the ministerial departments around the socio-economic issues linked to the environment.

After listening attentively to the explanations and other expectations raised by Prof. Abdoulaye Dia regarding the implementation of the Great Green Wall in Mali, Ambassador Youba Ba gave the assurance that he would relay the points raised to the Malian authorities. Before the visitor of the day, the Executive Secretary commended Mali’s commitment to the implementation of the Great Green Wall, illustrated in particular by statutory contributions kept up to date since December 2016.