Burkina Faso Hosts First West Africa Regional Exchange Mechanism Workshop Under the GEF-7 DSL-IP

This inaugural regional workshop aims to foster dialogue and cooperation on the challenges and opportunities of dryland management in West Africa, with a particular focus on the DSL-IP eco-region. It places special emphasis on the role of stakeholders in the sustainable management and restoration of landscapes—particularly rangelands.

Speaking at the opening, Pamoussa Ouedraogo, Permanent Secretary of the SP-CNDD, emphasized the importance of this platform in facilitating cross-country learning and exchange. “This forum is part of a broader initiative to share experiences among countries engaged in the GEF-supported Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program. Burkina Faso is participating alongside 11 other countries from Africa and Asia,” he said.

Burkina Faso previously contributed to regional exchanges during similar forums held in Zimbabwe and Malawi. Now, by hosting this first West Africa-focused workshop in Ouagadougou, the country is reinforcing its leadership role in the sub-region.

From Dialogue to Action

The three-day workshop includes technical sessions and a field visit to Pabré, where participants observed concrete land restoration efforts. The field component was followed by in-depth presentations and inter-country exchanges focused on innovative approaches, financing mechanisms, and scaling of successful practices.

“The aim is to strengthen regional cooperation and explore financing options for land restoration that align with national priorities—such as the agro-sylvo-pastoral offensive and reforestation campaigns,” Ouedraogo noted. “Ultimately, we want to draw lessons, share experiences, and build on what works to scale up good practices.”

The national DSL-IP project in Burkina Faso aims to restore nearly 150,000 hectares of degraded land, directly benefiting more than 300,000 people, including 150,000 women, and putting Nature-based Solutions at the forefront of efforts to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN).

Peer Learning in Practice

Jacques Somda, Head of Programmes at IUCN Burkina Faso, highlighted the critical role of peer learning in strengthening nature conservation. “It is through shared learning that we become better stewards of nature,” he remarked. He added that the workshop provides an important space to exchange on best practices and challenges in land restoration, enabling countries to adapt and scale successful strategies.

“Burkina Faso is proud to share its experience—including what has worked and what hasn’t—and to inspire and learn from others,” Somda stated.

Spotlight on the Global Programme

Pragyan Raj Pokhrel, Senior Programme Officer at IUCN, presented an overview of the global GEF-7 DSL-IP and highlighted work underway across Central Asia and East and Southern Africa. He reaffirmed the "country docking" approach, through which technical support is provided to national projects by the Global Coordination Project (GCP) and its Communities of Practice.

“As the Burkina Faso project is just getting underway, this workshop offers a timely opportunity for national stakeholders to benefit from the technical structures and resources already in place under the Global Child Project," Pokhrel said. Participants expressed strong interest in receiving support on Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) mapping and green value chains as part of their national implementation.

A Regional Gathering of Shared Commitment

The workshop has brought together over 45 in-person participants from Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries—Mali, Niger, Senegal, Benin, and Ghana—with additional participants from across Africa joining online. The event marked a significant milestone in operationalizing regional exchange under the West African component of the DSL-IP.

The First Regional Exchange Mechanism – West Africa Workshop runs from June 26 to 28, 2025, as part of the broader East-West Africa Regional Exchange Mechanism under the GEF-7 DSL-IP.

About the GEF7 DSL-IP

With USD 104 million funding under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) -7 funding circle, along with over 800 million co-financing, the Sustainable Forest Management Impact Program on Dryland Sustainable Landscapes aims to move the needle on Global Environmental Benefits (GEBs), and is assisting 11 countries across Africa and Asia in: a) fostering resilience of production systems in drylands; b) promoting restoration and rehabilitation; and c) improving livelihoods through a comprehensive landscape approach. 

The DSL-IP is led by FAO with IUCN and WOCAT as partners in the Global Coordination Project. The program is fostering resilience of agro-ecological systems and forests in three geographic clusters of drylands: Miombo/Mopane of Southern Africa, Savannas of East and West Africa, and temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands of Central Asia. Designed to deliver scalability beyond the boundaries of the 11 targeted countries, this intervention places a particular emphasis on common management challenges, recognizing the importance of transboundary commitment towards dryland restoration, landscape management at scale, and biodiversity conservation.