Editorial – February 2022
Madam, Sir, dear members, dear partners,
As we enter the year 2022, many of us are deeply concerned about the governance crises and the deteriorating security situation in several regions of the Sahel. These troubles and the uncertainties they engender risk jeopardising all the efforts that have been made and all the gains that have been made in terms of development. They darken the future prospects of the populations concerned, who are the first to be affected, in their flesh and in their daily lives, by these successive crises. These populations, the beneficiaries of our projects and actions, must remain the focus of the international community’s action in the G5 Sahel countries. There will be no peace and stability in the Sahel without a profound and qualitative change in the living conditions of the Sahelian people.
This is why the Sahel Alliance members are pursuing and intensifying their efforts in favour of resilience and development projects. In a review article, which I invite you to read in this newsletter, the main focus areas of these efforts and the outcomes they have produced are recalled. During the many field trips I took in recent months, I was able to see how relevant the projects funded by our members can be, with activities that are as close as possible to the needs of the people. In N’Djamena, for example, I had the privilege of talking to the team of the Kabalaye Equipment and Rehabilitation Centre, committed people who grant a second chance to those who no longer had one, as part of a project supported by AFD and Handicap International.
I was also able to speak with the young journalists of Radio Ndarason, an impressive team that stands out through its dynamism and drive, committed to giving a voice to the particularly vulnerable populations of the Lake Chad Basin, by broadcasting programmes in local languages to more than 8 million listeners. that contribute to dialogue and peace in this area beset by tensions and conflicts. This peace radio has been supported by several Alliance members, UNDP, Canada, the Netherlands, France….
The efforts already expended with our Sahelian partners must be preserved and strengthened more than ever. Very soon, we will have the opportunity to discuss the actions to be taken and to make the voice of solidarity heard at the Sahel Alliance’s 3rd General Assembly, which should be held at the beginning of April under the presidency of Spain. There is no doubt that the Sahelian youth and the imperative to maintain and increase development projects for the benefit of the Sahelian populations will be at the heart of our exchanges. “There is no wealth but men,” said Jean Bodin. The young people of the Sahel have the potential and energy needed to build a better future.
I have a special thought for those of them who are enterprising and innovative, like Gabdo Guindo, who, like more than 1,500 other young Malians, has created his own business with the support of the FACEJ project, with funding from Denmark and the Netherlands. You will get to know him through the video portrait dedicated to him, made during a filming session carried out by the UCA at his workplace in Sikasso.
The next few weeks will see a number of important meetings. I am thinking in particular of the ministerial meeting of the Coalition for the Sahel, which will be held on 9 March, and the 10th meeting of the Special Envoys for the Sahel, which will take place the following week in Spain. The World Water Forum in Dakar from 21 to 26 March, where the Sahel Alliance coordination group on basic services will organise a High Level Dialogue on access to water and sanitation services in the Sahel.
Let us continue our collective efforts to contribute to a better future for the Sahel.
I wish you a good read,
Yours sincerely,
Adrien Haye
Content of the newsletter
Life of the Sahel Alliance
- Progress report of the Sahel Alliance
- Mission of the Sahel Alliance coordinator in Chad
- Sahel Alliance members meet in Niger
- Meeting two new Sahel Alliance liaison experts
Thriving Sahel
News from our members and partners
Ressources & publications
