Despite receiving over $20 billion in international funding pledges, Africa’s ambitious Great Green Wall initiative is failing to deliver the large-scale environmental benefits it promised, according to a new study published in Land Use Policy journal.

The Great Green Wall spans 11 countries across Africa’s Sahel region, from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east. This massive restoration project aims to combat desertification by restoring 100 million hectares of degraded land, capturing 250 million tons of carbon, and creating 10 million jobs. The initiative also seeks to provide crucial food and water security, create wildlife habitat, and reduce climate-driven migration from drought-affected areas.

Senegal, often held up as a success story since the project’s 2007 launch, exemplifies both the promise and challenges of the Great Green Wall. Earlier this year, Senegalese leaders gathered for National Tree Day, planting trees and calling for greater environmental action. However, like other participating countries including Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Mauritania, Senegal has struggled to translate ambitious pledges into meaningful ecological change on the ground.

The research highlights a persistent gap between the initiative’s lofty goals and actual implementation. While the Great Green Wall remains one of the world’s most ambitious environmental restoration projects, the study underscores the complex challenges of executing large-scale ecological interventions across multiple countries with varying political, economic, and environmental conditions.