[Niger] Restoring a Green, Peaceful Sahel

August 14, 2019

Niger is a landlocked country in Western Africa, on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in an area known as the Sahel. The Sahara Desert occupies two-thirds of the country's land area.

The word "Sahel" is derived from an Arabic word meaning "coast." This area used to be a rich land filled with greenery, but now severe desertification is underway. As a result, a chain of negative events is taking place: a lack of water and degradation of land have created a food shortage and poverty, which are leading to destabilization of society. In addition, political instability in Mali, Libya and other neighboring countries has caused refugee influx, terrorist incidents and other problems in Niger.

To tackle desertification, JICA has started an international framework with countries in Africa and the United Nations' organizations. We are also carrying out agricultural support to solve the food problem. In Niger, we have introduced the SHEP approach that we are using in many countries in Africa to improve productivity and profitability through market-oriented agricultural development. In the field of education, we have been carrying out the "School for All" project in this country for more than 15 years, which has helped improve the quality of primary and secondary education and increase the rate of school attendance.