SADC Urged to Mobilise $27 Billion for Great Green Wall Drive Across Southern Africa

The Southern Africa Great Green Wall Initiative represents one of the region’s most ambitious climate adaptation and land restoration programmes.

A renewed push to unlock billions in climate and development finance is gaining momentum across Southern Africa, as Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts, calls for urgent, large-scale investment in the Southern Africa Great Green Wall Initiative (SADC GGWI).

Addressing a high-level Regional Capacity Building Workshop in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Swarts urged the Southern African Development Community (SADC), global development partners, and financial institutions to significantly scale up funding efforts to meet the initiative's estimated $27 billion financing requirement by 2030.

The Southern Africa Great Green Wall Initiative represents one of the region's most ambitious climate adaptation and land restoration programmes. It seeks to reverse decades of environmental degradation by restoring millions of hectares of degraded land, strengthening climate resilience, safeguarding biodiversity, and improving livelihoods for vulnerable communities across SADC member states.

A Region Under Pressure

Southern Africa remains one of the most climate-vulnerable regions globally, facing intensifying droughts, erratic rainfall patterns, desertification, and biodiversity loss. According to regional environmental assessments, over 45% of land in parts of Southern Africa is already degraded, directly impacting agricultural productivity, water security, and rural incomes.

Swarts highlighted that without urgent intervention, land degradation could cost the region billions annually in lost ecosystem services, food insecurity, and economic output.

"As Interim SADC Chair, South Africa calls on all stakeholders present here today to use this platform to deepen collaboration, accelerate pipeline development, and unlock innovative financing solutions that match the scale of our shared ambition," she said.

From Policy to Bankable Projects

The Johannesburg workshop brought together governments, multilateral development banks, private investors, and technical partners, marking a strategic shift from policy commitments to investment-ready programmes.

A key focus of the discussions was transforming high-level environmental pledges into bankable, scalable projects capable of attracting blended finance, including public funding, private capital, and climate finance instruments.

Swarts emphasised that the success of the SADC GGWI hinges on developing gender-responsive, nature-based solutions that simultaneously address land degradation, climate adaptation, and socio-economic development.

"We need to move from commitment to capital, from plans to projects, and from ambition to implementation," she stressed.

Unlocking Innovative Climate Finance

The initiative is increasingly being positioned as a flagship platform for innovative financing models, including green bonds, carbon markets, climate funds, and public-private partnerships.

Experts at the workshop noted that global climate finance flows remain insufficient and unevenly distributed, with Africa receiving less than 5% of total global climate finance, despite being among the hardest hit by climate change.

To bridge this gap, Swarts called for stronger support for the Partnership for Project Preparation (PPP), led by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Global Mechanism. The PPP plays a critical role in converting national and regional plans into investment-grade projects that can attract institutional investors and development finance institutions.

Strategic Corridors for Investment

Regional flagship programmes—particularly those linked to transboundary ecosystems such as the Zambezi Watercourse—were highlighted as high-impact opportunities to mobilise large-scale funding.

These corridors offer integrated solutions spanning water security, agriculture, energy, and ecosystem restoration, making them attractive for climate and development finance at scale.

By leveraging such regional platforms, SADC aims to create cross-border investment pipelines that maximise impact while reducing risk for investors.

A Continental Vision with Local Impact

The SADC GGWI builds on the broader African Union-led Great Green Wall initiative, which aims to restore 100 million hectares of land across Africa by 2030, sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon, and create 10 million green jobs.

In the Southern African context, the initiative is tailored to address local ecological conditions, socio-economic realities, and development priorities, with a strong emphasis on community participation and sustainable livelihoods.

If successfully implemented, the programme could transform rural economies by boosting agricultural productivity, enhancing water availability, and supporting climate-resilient infrastructure.

A Call for Collective Action

Swarts concluded with a strong call for collective responsibility, urging governments, financiers, and the private sector to align resources and accelerate implementation.

"The scale of the challenge demands a scale of response that is bold, coordinated, and innovative. The time for incremental action has passed—what we need now is transformative investment," she said.

As Southern Africa positions itself at the forefront of climate resilience and land restoration, the success of the Great Green Wall Initiative will depend not only on political will but on the ability to mobilise unprecedented levels of financing and turn vision into measurable impact.