The Coordination Nationale de l’Initiative de la Grande Muraille Verte pour le Sahara et le Sahel (CN-IGMVSS - National Coordination of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative) received a visit on 1 April 2019 from a delegation of the Directorate-General for Development (Belgian Development Cooperation).

As a funder of the Capacity Building Programme (CBP) for the GGWSSI implemented by the National Coordination, the delegation came to enquire about the progress of the programme's activities.

The Directorate-General for Development (DGD) is the main funder, alongside Wallonie Bruxelles International (WBI), of APEFE (Association pour la Promotion de l’Education et de la Formation à l’Etranger - Association for the Promotion of Education and Training Abroad) programmes in Burkina Faso. For this reason, Mr Corentin Genin of the DGD led a mission to Burkina Faso. Accompanied by the Cooperation Advisor to the Belgian Embassy, Mr Wim Schalenbourg, he was received at the Great Green Wall Secretariat in the presence of the APEFE Programmes Administrator, Mr Didier Woirin.

The National Coordinator, Mr Adama Doulkom presented the Initiative as a whole. He then detailed the achievements of CBP implementation. The implementation of this programme since 2014 has established institutional roots and strengthened the stakeholders’ skills.

Today, the results that have been achieved are more than satisfactory, but other challenges remain to be faced, such as the development of a digitalisation strategy.

The DGD delegation showed interest in the presentation given. It congratulated the National Coordination for the work carried out, in particular for taking into account social involvement in the work. Beneficiaries’ contribution to making projects operational is a major aspect that is neglected by many programmes, but this is not the case in the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative.