ECOWAS Green Future: Land Restoration Tops Agenda in a Solemn Declaration.
By Raymond Enoch.
In a resolute Solemn declaration on the 2025 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has sounded the alarm over the escalating threat of land degradation while charting a bold, collective vision for restoring the region’s battered ecosystems.
Under the global theme “Restore the Land, Unlock the Opportunities”, ECOWAS’ solemn declaration not only aligns with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), but also reflects the bloc’s deepening urgency to act as West Africa stands at the frontline of a worsening climate crisis.
With 65% of Africa’s productive land now degraded and desertification ravaging 45% of the continent’s terrain, the toll on livelihoods is staggering. As the Sahel faces an escalating food crisis, 50 million people are at risk of food insecurity by 2024, according to World Food Programme projections—a reality that ECOWAS warns cannot be ignored.
“Desertification and drought are not distant threats,” the declaration states, “they are already destabilising food systems, uprooting communities, and fanning the flames of conflict and forced migration.”
In response, ECOWAS is championing restoration over resignation. The declaration highlights key initiatives such as the Great Green Wall (GGW)—Africa’s ambitious environmental defense line stretching across the Sahel. With 20 million hectares already restored and a target of 100 million hectares by 2030, the GGW is a flagship effort to revive arid lands and breathe new life into fragile ecosystems.
Moreover, ECOWAS is calling for scaling up of traditional and smart agricultural methods, including Zaï techniques, fallow land recovery, and intelligent irrigation—all tailored to help communities adapt to water scarcity and soil degradation.
As part of its renewed strategy, ECOWAS commits to updating its Sub-Regional Action Plan to Combat Desertification (PRASR-LCD), embracing land degradation neutrality as a core principle, and harmonising national laws to promote agro-ecology and responsible land use.
The bloc is also issuing a clarion call to governments, private sector actors, civil society, and international partners to ramp up investment in ecological restoration projects, agroforestry, and reforestation.
On this symbolic day, ECOWAS offers a powerful reminder:
“Every tree preserved, every tree planted, every piece of land restored, is a victory against desertification and drought.”
With this declaration, ECOWAS is not just observing a day; it is planting the seeds of a regional renaissance—one rooted in resilience, sustainability, and a shared determination to turn barren lands into blooming opportunities.
