Sahel RESILAND

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Overview

The Sahel RESILAND program is transforming fragile landscapes into engines of opportunity—restoring ecosystems, creating jobs, and building peace.

In a region where climate shocks, environmental degradation, and insecurity threaten lives and livelihoods, RESILAND offers a new path forward. By tackling the interlinked challenges of land degradation, youth unemployment, and social fragmentation, the program empowers communities to reclaim their future.

Through Integrated Landscape Management, RESILAND bridges climate resilience, governance, and development—moving beyond siloed responses to deliver lasting impact. With support from governments, development partners, and the private sector, RESILAND is helping the Sahel shift from vulnerability to resilience, and from crisis to opportunity.

To address these challenges, the World Bank has adopted Integrated Landscape Management (ILM), a holistic approach that links climate resilience, governance, and development. Rather than treating these issues in isolation, ILM fosters cross-sector solutions that drive sustainability and economic growth in the Sahel countries.


The RESILAND Sahel Program

RESILAND SAHEL is a bold and transformative regional umbrella program built on two powerful pillars:

(1) knowledge (the PASA) – technical assistance, capacity building, and analytical studies – to support an enabling environment for integrated landscape management approaches, and (2) investments to scale up land restoration and livelihood activities.

The objective of the program is to increase resilience and strengthen livelihoods of targeted communities in the Sahel countries using evidence-based policy making and investments. By restoring landscapes, sustainably managing forests, agro-forestry, climate-resilient farming and pastoralism, RESILAND aims to build a thriving and sustainable future for the Sahel.

In a region where challenges are vast but opportunities for transformation are equally immense, the RESILAND Sahel Program provides the full range of services for productive sectors and livelihoods, including technical assistance, policy support, technological tools and knowledge management to support Governments to increase landscape and community resilience throughout the region.


The SAWAP Legacy

In 2012, the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility launched the Sahel and West Africa Program in Support of the Great Green Wall (SAWAP) to restore degraded land, support local economies, and strengthen resilience from Senegal to Ethiopia. Over the years, SAWAP has rehabilitated 1.6 million hectares of land and benefitted 19.4 million people across diverse ecosystems in Chad, Senegal, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Benin and Togo.

SAWAP’s impact goes beyond numbers—it empowered communities to manage their landscapes, fostering pride and stewardship. However, SAWAP also highlighted a key challenge: the need to focus on jobs and engage the private sector. This lesson has shaped the next phase of the World Bank’s efforts: The RESILAND Sahel Program.

The PASA

The first pillar of RESILAND SAHEL is the Sahel Land Restoration Program, a Bank-led analytical activity supporting the governments of the G5 Sahel countries to inform targeted, cost-effective future investments. From August 2012 to May 2025 with a total financing of US$2.925 million this PASA has financed communication and monitoring and evaluation activities at the regional level as well as analytical work in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger to advance cross-sector solutions that drive sustainability and economic growth. It is set to end in May 2025.

At the regional level, RESILAND, in partnership with WOCAT, is documenting and sharing sustainable land management (SLM) practices in Burkina Faso and Niger, while promoting cross-country knowledge exchange across the Sahel. The program is also advancing tools for monitoring and carbon accounting of SLM activities. In parallel, it is developing practical solutions for small-scale water storage—like rainwater harvesting—to restore degraded lands and support local resilience. In particular, the study on Water Potential Estimator (WPE) presented evidence-based scenarios on how the water can be stored and reused to support local, regional, and national governments/decision-makers in investing in water harvesting solutions.

The program supported 8Billion (8BN), a grassroots storytelling movement, empowering Sahelian youth in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad through workshops led by African filmmakers. Eight short films on resilience were produced and showcased in community screenings to raise awareness and foster engagement. Furthermore, an e-book on Land Restoration in the Sahel, and a story map on Land Restoration Opportunities in the Sahel have been produced as well, and a series of virtual trainings on disruptive technologies for ecosystem monitoring has been conducted to build the capacity of country project implementation units. The program supported also the development of the RESILAND Sahel website as a repository of knowledge and a showcase of landscape initiatives in the region. At the country level, the programmatic ASA has supported various initiatives.

In Niger, a Country Environmental Analysis has been conducted along with a study on the successful experience of resilience and decentralization of the Maison du Paysan. This model of farmers’ house managed by and for the communes as a communal platform for integrated agricultural development services was developed under the WB supported Community Action Project for Climate Resilience (PACRC). The solutions adopted to help the municipalities operationalize the MP  have been disseminated and are going to be adopted by the Integrated Landscape Managment Project.

In Mali, a review of climate resilience and environmental governance landscapes underscored the need for an Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) approach to address fragility, land degradation, and social cohesion. A complementary study assessed transport flows along the northern Niger River (Koulikoro to Gao), confirming strong economic potential and return on investment for inland river transport.

Both Niger and Mali revised their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Investment Plans with program support. In Burkina Faso, a forest-smart mining assessment identified Principles, Criteria & Indicators for artisanal and small-scale mining, along with actionable entry points. Findings are informing ongoing World Bank operations and shaping reforms under the Communal Climate Action and Landscape Management Project.

A Public Expenditure Review (PER) of the agro-sylvo-pastoral sector examined spending impacts across four areas: input subsidies, irrigation schemes, agricultural financing, and natural resources.

In Mauritania, a landscape management manual and community workshops helped define and pilot local plans. A guidance note was also produced to enhance the performance and decentralization of the “Development Planning System,” grounded in a review of regulatory and institutional frameworks.

In Chad, a 360° Virtual Reality video of the OROA reserve showcased the benefits of sustainable land management. Studies supported the use of disruptive technologies for wildlife monitoring, land degradation analysis, and ecotourism potential.

These efforts have directly shaped country-level landscape projects, grounding them in context-specific insights and practical tools. 

The Landscape Investment Projects

Building on SAWAP’s successes, the World Bank has committed over $ 500 M to expand integrated landscape management across the Sahel under the SAHEL RESILAND Umbrella Program. These projects, aligned with the World Bank Group's Roadmap for Change and the Sahel Climate and Development Report, aim to enhance food security, climate resilience, and sustainable growth. Key initiatives include:

By combining environmental restoration with economic renewal, RESILAND projects revive land and empower communities—building social, natural, and cultural resilience. With strong local engagement, especially from women and youth, the fight against desertification becomes a fight for opportunity, progress, and a more resilient Sahel.

Community-led Restoration in Burkina Faso: Scaling Impact Through Sustainable Landscape Management

Burkina Faso loses up to 250,000 hectares of land each year, putting food systems and livelihoods at risk. In response, the Communal Climate Action and Landscape Management Project takes a community-driven approach to ease pressure on shared resources and create rural economic opportunities. It has restored over 190,000 hectares and supported more than 250 small producers—especially women—in moringa, shea, and baobab value chains. With 133 investments completed and 3,500 green jobs expected, the project is improving climate-smart livelihoods and easing resource-based tensions.

Niger’s Integrated Landscape Management Project (PGIP): Building Resilient Communities
PGIP is restoring over 40,000 hectares of degraded land, creating 100,000 paid workdays, and supporting small businesses in fisheries, aquaculture, and forestry. For pastoralists and farmers, this means better grazing, reduced migration pressures, and fewer conflicts. By integrating agriculture, forestry, water, and economic empowerment, PGIP is turning degraded areas into productive ecosystems. In its first year alone, it created nearly 1,000 rural jobs—laying the foundation for long-term environmental and economic resilience.

Mali’s Project to Combat Land Degradation: A Catalyst for Growth
With land degradation costing over a third of GDP, Mali is taking bold action. The $150 million Land Degradation Restoration Project (PRTD-Mali), aligned with the Great Green Wall, is reclaiming land and revitalizing livelihoods for 2 million people. Through riverbank rehabilitation, reforestation, and improved water management, the project is creating 9,000 jobs, supporting 108 subprojects, and issuing $11 million in grants to boost the fisheries sector and build long-term resilience.

Expanding to Chad: A Community-Driven Approach
In Chad, a new Landscape Restoration project builds on previous efforts to combat desertification through cost-effective land rehabilitation and agro-silvo-pastoral activities. With a strong focus on women, youth, and ecotourism, the project aims to restore ecosystems, generate jobs, and empower communities to build a sustainable future in the Sahel.