Posted on 04/13/2026 5:59:59 AM PDT by Eleutheria5
In an arid valley near the village of Kourtimale in southern Djibouti, a tattered chain link fence marks the boundaries of what was once Abdi Guelleh's farm. Within it, there's not a speck of greenery in sight. Broken lengths of irrigation piping lie scattered in the dust. A derelict weather station stands in a corner amid a tangle of cables. Here and there, taps that haven't seen water in years protrude from the earth.
There's little to hint at the fact that this lifeless 2.5-acre plot was once meant to be one tiny brick in one of the world's most ambitious environmental projects: Africa's Great Green Wall.
This multi-billion dollar project was launched by the African Union in 2007. The plan: to plant a "wall" of trees spanning the entire width of Africa — 4,350 miles long and 10 miles wide — to fight desertification in the Sahel, the arid region to the south of the Sahara desert.
The Wall's vision was boundless, and its backers called it a "new world wonder." It would re-green nearly 250 million acres of land across 11 countries from Senegal to Djibouti, and in doing so, would sequester 250 million tons of carbon, provide "green jobs" for 10 million people and alleviate poverty...
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
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Did locals just steal the pipes?
Not yet.
I did search “Africa”. Nothing.
If they care enough to water it regularly, it could work, provided there isn’t another war and all the workers with the watering cans aren’t killed or sold into slavery, and provided the aforementioned pedos stay at the UN complex where they do less harm.
This is the most Africa story I’ve ever read.
“Eighteen years later, vast amounts of money have been spent, yet most of the planned Wall remains no more green than Abdi Guelleh’s barren field.”
I wonder if anyone has ever noticed that when you bring in tons of food to feed an African village the next year there are twice as many Africans and less food because the free food has made it impossible for farmers to make any money growing food?
If it advances at all they will cut it all down for firewood.
Beavers.
Sounds like Newsom and his high speed rail system between LA and SF. The initial budget (2008) was $9.95 billion dollars for the 385 mile system. Today, 18 years later, 80 miles have been built and the cost is now projected to be between $70 and $100 billion. Gov’t has no incentive to be efficient or honest and CA has managed to be both inefficient and corrupt at the same time. Evidently, Africa is no different.
We were driving on here a day across the desert, and it occurred to us they wouldn’t be world hunger if you people would live where the food is! You live in a desert, understand that?! You live in a desert!! Nothing grows out of here! Nothing’s going to grow out of here! Come here, you see this? Huh? This is sand, yeah it‘s sand. You know what it’s going to be 100 years from now? It’s going to be sand! You live in a desert!
Phoenix, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, and Tucson hardest hit.
““Eighteen years later, vast amounts of money have been spent, yet most of the planned Wall remains no more green than Abdi Guelleh’s barren field.””
typical African “project” ...
btw, i read where the “wall” will pass right through the middle of Wakanda ...
While the project was a pipe dream and failure, it would be a pretty safe guess that many “connected” officials made a pile of money for themselves and cared little beyond that.
Everybody knows walls don’t work.
it will take 200 billion man-hours to produce, plant, initially water 100 billion saplings, with 50 million planted every day, to reach the completion goal of 2030 for the so-called Great Green Wall of Africa ... and then there’s the even bigger issue of success after planting, which will depend heavily on survival rates (often low in the Sahel without irrigation, protection from grazing, or community maintenance).
any “free” money donated to this fantabulous nonsense is an abject lesson in :”a fool and his money are soon parted” ...
Reminds me of former mayor Villaraigossa’s plan to plant a million trees in Los Angeles to cool it down. He was lauded and paraded all over the media as an eco-warrior, etc.
Problem was: some of the trees were planted - but not watered. I saw this in an area where I worked - great idea, but all the newly planted trees died b/c of lack of watering.
Another great idea on paper - but not in the real world. I’m sure millions were wasted.
Israel started reforesting the hills and draining the swamps well over a century ago. The Rothchilds provided the money, the eucalyptus trees and the poisons to kill off locust eggs before they hatched, as well as the grapevine seedlings. It paid off.
2030 may not be a realistic deadline, but it’s a worthy endeavor nonetheless. “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with just one step,” and the Africans are taking that step. If it means less refugees, disease and famine, I’m for it. What the warlords and UN will do about it remains to be seen. They might not actively work to destroy it for a change.
Pity Kadaffi’s aquifer modernization project was never finished.
If NPR is ‘reporting’ they’ll PRETEND it’s working...so you can count on it NOT working.
*SMIRK*
They’re trying to re-green Israel and it IS Working - but Heaven forbid NPR report on THAT!
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