Working mission of the Executive Secretary of the PAGGW to Mali

As part of a working mission to Mali, Mr Almoustapha Garba, Executive Secretary of the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall, was received in audience on Thursday 4 June 2026 by His Excellency Mr Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

This high-level meeting is part of the institutional and operational revival undertaken by the new Executive Secretary of the PAGGW, with the ambition of strengthening the effectiveness of the Great Green Wall Initiative and accelerating its impact for the benefit of the populations of the Sahel, the Sahara and the entire African continent. During the discussions, the two parties addressed several strategic issues relating to the functioning and development of the Agency. Particular attention was paid to the regular holding of the statutory meetings of the PAGGW, as well as to the organisation of the upcoming Conference of Heads of State and Government, which will be held under the presidency of Mali. This major milestone should make it possible to consolidate the common political vision of the member States and to strengthen regional coordination around the priorities of the Initiative.

The discussions also focused on the optimal mobilisation of the funding intended to support the implementation of the Agency’s Ten-Year Priority Investment Plan. In a context marked by the climate emergency, the pressure on natural resources and the socio-economic challenges facing the Sahelian countries, the strengthening of investments constitutes an essential lever for accelerating actions for land restoration, sustainable ecosystem management and the development of green value chains.

The Executive Secretary also presented the strategic vision carried by the new leadership of the PAGGW, focused on institutional and operational reforms intended to make the Great Green Wall a genuine instrument of prosperity, climate resilience and sustainable transformation of territories. The Executive Secretary also welcomed Mali’s up-to-date financial contribution to the Agency’s budget, thereby commending the constant commitment of the Malian authorities to regional integration and inter-State cooperation in the fight against desertification, land degradation and the effects of climate change.

Through these sustained working missions in the member countries, the Executive Secretariat of the Agency reaffirms its determination to consolidate its partnerships with the member States and the technical and financial partners, in order to carry forward a Great Green Wall that is more integrated, more ambitious and more oriented towards concrete results for the communities.