Environmental Stewardship as a Catalyst for Development: A Strategic Response to the Sahel’s Interconnected Challenges

By Tabi Joda, CEO & Founder, One Billion Trees for Africa

The Programme on Strengthening Technical Capacities of Youth in Environmental Protection and Food Systems represents a pivotal moment for the Sahel region. Launched on 24th May 2025 in Saly, Mbour, Sénégal, this initiative emerges from a partnership between the One Billion Trees for Africa Movement, the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, and the Embassy of Ireland in Senegal. The programme addresses four critical and interconnected challenges: irregular migration, youth unemployment, food insecurity, and climate-related security risks.

The launch ceremony brought together senior dignitaries and their presence underscores the programme's significance across local, national, and international agendas.

Notable attendees included:

• H.E. Derek Hannon, Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland in Sénégal

• Mr. Njoya Tikum, UNDP Resident Representative for Sénégal and Director of the UNDP Sub-Regional Office for West and Central Africa

• Ms. Barrie Freeman, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for UNOWAS

Youth Empowerment as a Climate and Development Strategy

Irregular migration from the Sahel stems fundamentally from hopelessness, economic exclusion, and limited domestic opportunities. The programme transforms this dynamic by equipping young people with technical skills in sustainable agriculture, food systems, and environmental conservation. This approach creates local employment pathways and entrepreneurship opportunities whilst offering meaningful alternatives to dangerous migration routes. Perhaps most importantly, it rebuilds confidence in the future within home communities.

When youth are empowered with relevant skills and opportunities, they become more likely to remain and invest in their communities. Migration shifts from being a necessity driven by desperation to a choice made from a position of strength and opportunity.

Transforming the Youth Dividend - Tackling Youth Unemployment through Green Skills and Enterprise

With over 60% of Africa's population under 25, the Sahel sits at the heart of a demographic transformation. However, unemployment and underemployment remain persistently high, as documented by the World Bank in 2018. Whilst the region's youth population continues to grow, this demographic shift could become a substantial dividend if employment and entrepreneurial opportunities are enhanced effectively.

The programme directly addresses this potential through three key interventions:

• Providing hands-on vocational training in green and agri-based enterprises that align with regional economic opportunities

• Connecting young people with markets, mentorship, and micro-financing access to enable sustainable business development

• Encouraging youth-led agribusinesses and social enterprises that create multiplier effects within local economies

2025 First Corhort of Saly Programme, Sénégal

Crucially, the programme positions youth not as passive recipients of aid but as active agents of economic transformation and innovation.

Enhancing Food Security and Agricultural Resilience

The Sahel faces acute vulnerability to food insecurity, driven by erratic rainfall, land degradation, and an ageing population of farmers. By strengthening capacities in climate-smart agriculture and sustainable food systems, the programme tackles these challenges systematically. It boosts local food production whilst reducing dependency on imports, encourages value addition and storage techniques that minimise post-harvest losses, and promotes biodiversity and ecosystem restoration to improve long-term productivity.

These interventions create more resilient food systems capable of withstanding external shocks, establishing a fundamental pillar for peace and stability across the region.

Building Peace through Environmental Stewardship

In the Sahel, climate change functions as a conflict multiplier, intensifying competition over scarce resources including water, pasture, and productive agricultural lands. The programme responds through comprehensive environmental stewardship, promoting reforestation, sustainable land management, and community-based environmental protection initiatives.

This approach mitigates environmental degradation through several pathways:

• Reducing the effects of desertification and soil erosion through targeted restoration efforts

• Minimising tensions between farming and herding communities over resource access

• Supporting the regeneration of degraded ecosystems that form the foundation of local livelihoods

The programme contributes to climate security by making the environment more productive and less prone to triggering conflict.

A Scalable Blueprint for Regional Resilience

This programme transcends traditional training initiatives to become a holistic, practice-based blueprint for youth and women-led sustainable development. Operating at the intersection of development, food security, peace, and climate action, it delivers concrete solutions to deeply rooted regional challenges.

By investing strategically in young people, restoring ecosystems, and strengthening food systems, the programme establishes foundations for social cohesion, economic inclusion, environmental resilience, and ultimately peace and security across the Sahel. The model has generated significant interest for scaling and replication throughout the Sahel and beyond, demonstrating its potential as a transformative approach to regional development.