Jean-Yves Le Drian
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs
The Sahel Alliance was created in 2017 to provide concrete and collective responses to the challenges facing the populations of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad. Challenges that are only growing - from social vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change. Challenges that are increasingly intertwined, with instability setting the stage for disruptions to security which, in turn, reinforce it. Challenges accentuated, of course, by the health crisis of the coronavirus and its consequences in all areas...
Read moreJean-Yves Le Drian
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs
The Sahel Alliance was created in 2017 to provide concrete and collective responses to the challenges facing the populations of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad. Challenges that are only growing - from social vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change. Challenges that are increasingly intertwined, with instability setting the stage for disruptions to security which, in turn, reinforce it. Challenges accentuated, of course, by the health crisis of the coronavirus and its consequences in all areas.
To break the spiral of violence and despair, it was urgent to unite energies, resources and goodwill. We have been working together for three years, in close collaboration with the central and local authorities. This increased mobilisation is bearing fruit: on the ground, in particular in the most fragile areas, aid is arriving faster and yielding initial concrete results, encouraging examples of which are provided in this report. In the course of these three years, the Alliance has grown steadily. It now comprises 24 partners and donors, full members and observers. New players have expressed their intention to join us. The Alliance has become a privileged interlocutor and a major partner for the Executive Secretariat of the G5 Sahel, as evidenced by the € 266 million that we have provided to finance the Emergency Development Programme. In February 2020. Our first General Assembly was held in Nouakchott. We have made strong commitments to further increase our political and technical dialogue with the G5 countries and to implement an integrated territorial approach in vulnerable areas. Such an approach is based on a greater involvement of political and administrative authorities, security forces, humanitarian workers and civil societies in the projects carried out by development agencies.
We must now go further, by linking our efforts even more closely to the imperatives of combating armed groups, strengthening national security forces and deploying States across all their territories. Faced with terrorists ready to use the strategy of chaos, security, public service, humanitarian and development stakeholders must act hand in hand to build a Sahel of peace and stability together. This is the objective of the International Coalition for the Sahel, which was created this year following the Pau Summit.
As the leader of our Alliance, Spain will therefore have its work cut out for it. However, it can rely on the support of our Coordination Unit and of the German chairmanship of the Operational Steering Committee, as well as, of course, on France's commitment. Thanks to these early successes, to this momentum and to this renewed governance, the Alliance now holds all the keys to fully realising the ambition that it has fostered for the past three years: to free the people of the Sahel from urgency and provide them with real prospects for the future in the long term.
Christoph Rauh
Africa director of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Developpment
Chairman of the Sahel Alliance steering commitee
Within the 3 years of its existence the Sahel Alliance has substantially grown, becoming a unique and effective coordination platform. Starting out with the three founding members EU, France and Germany, it has continuously grown now compromising of thirteen development partners who stand for a portfolio of 17,1 billion euros (31/12/2018)...
Read moreChristoph Rauh
Africa director of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Developpment
Chairman of the Sahel Alliance steering commitee
Within the 3 years of its existence the Sahel Alliance has substantially grown, becoming a unique and effective coordination platform. Starting out with the three founding members EU, France and Germany, it has continuously grown now compromising of thirteen development partners who stand for a portfolio of 17,1 billion euros (31/12/2018). The Alliance has developed to become the central format for coordination and political dialogue with regard to development policy for the Sahel G5-countries, thereby having created an important space for exchange on best practices, common action and innovation. Beyond that, the Sahel Alliance is working on the ground, bringing tangible improvements for the population in the Sahel region. This report highlights the Alliance’s impact and provides insights into some of its projects.
Development policy remains crucial to address the root causes and effects of the ongoing conflict which cannot be solved or mitigated by military intervention alone. It is key in order to provide rapid assistance to the most vulnerable segments of society and to address the need for better governance and decentralization. Development policy helps reinstitute participation and trust of the population, improve the infrastructure and the access to basic services like health, water and education. It creates jobs and opportunities for the young and growing populations in the Sahel while sustaining the natural base of agriculture that nourishes and provides income to large segments of society. All these are issues the Sahel Alliance has been working on from the beginning. The challenges the G5 countries are facing need to be addressed foremost by the governments, local authorities and the civil society of the G5 countries. They cannot be tackled by the international community alone.
Furthermore, the G5 countries need to implement vital reforms. With regard to governance this concerns for instance the instauration of effective decentralisation and anti-corruption policies. If development partners and the G5 work together, we can make a real difference and give young people in the Sahel a positive perspective for their future.
The G5 Sahel region, between potentials and challenges
The G5 Sahel region (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad) holds great potential, endowed as it is with abundant human, cultural and natural resources, offering opportunities for rapid growth.
The region also possesses a remarkable cultural and physical heritage, including in particular the Banc d’Arguin National Park, the Ennedi Massif, the historic library of Timbuktu…
In terms of natural resources, the Sahel is home to some of the largest aquifers on the continent, as well as important surface waters such as Lake Chad and the Niger River. The region is rich with oil, natural gas, gold, iron… These resources present an important opportunity for economic diversification, the development of value chains and the livelihoods of the inhabitants.
The region also has great potential for renewable energy, particularly solar and wind, which is still largely under-exploited.
Despite these strengths, the Sahel remains one of the poorest regions in the world, facing both security problems and strong economic, social and environmental vulnerabilities. Nearly half of the Sahelian population lives on less than $ 1.25 a day and the countries in the region are ranked among those with the lowest development index.
For several years, the five countries have been confronted in various parts of their territories with multifaceted crises and security threats which are hampering peace and sustainable development in the region. In 2014, the heads of state of the region created the G5 Sahel, an intergovernmental framework for cooperation, to coordinate their actions and offer a regional response to the various challenges.
The Sahel Alliance in 3 minutes
Aware that crises are largely rooted in poverty, injustice and the lack of essential services, several donors have decided to combine their actions, with the desire to support stabilisation and long-term development efforts of the G5 Sahel countries, and particularly to reach outlying and neglected areas.
The Sahel Alliance was launched in 2017 by France, Germany and the European Union. The initiative now involves 13 multilateral and bilateral development partners. Its primary objective is to support the G5 Sahel countries in crafting a coordinated, joint, appropriate and effective response to the challenges they face. The Sahel Alliance is not a new organisation or a financial advocacy forum, but rather a mechanism to strengthen the coordination of partners for faster, more effective aid with greater impact.
Strengthened relations and dialogue with the G5 Sahel within the framework of the security-peace-development nexus
Having been consulted regularly throughout the construction of the conceptual framework of the Sahel Alliance starting in 2017, the five countries and the Permanent Secretariat of the G5 Sahel have continuously shared their common priorities and concerns. While the G5 Sahel and the Sahel Alliance share development goals, their functioning and prerogatives tend to be more complementary than juxtaposed.
Starting 2018, the Sahel Alliance has encouraged a specific dialogue with each G5 country in the development field. This reinforced framework for AS – G5 dialogue primarily supports an increased effort towards operational coordination, the identification of priority localities and intervention areas, the search for co-financing, the establishment of new financial instruments, the adaptation of intervention modes and procedures, support for public policy reforms, etc.
At the heart of the action: priority intervention areas
Identifying priority areas for intervention in consultation with the G5 countries is currently a major focus of the Alliance’s work.
The Integrated Priority Actions Framework (IPAF), adopted at the G5 Sahel Summit in February 2020, constitutes a reference document for donor programming in fragile cross-border areas.
In line with the principles of action prescribed by IPAF, the members of the Sahel Alliance are also working to effectively implement the integrated territorial approach (ITA). This aims to coordinate security, humanitarian and development actions to address the root causes of the crisis at the territorial level.
Identifying realistic, flexible and measurable actions in the fragile areas
Angel Losada
EU special representative for the Sahel
Bringing about genuine change in the Sahel requires a focused long-term engagement that is able to meet the population’s most urgent needs at the same time. This is no small task. The different crises that undermine progress in this vast region are deep-rooted and intertwined, requiring a coherent, efficient and coordinated response focused on fragile and priority areas...
Read moreAngel Losada
EU special representative for the Sahel
Bringing about genuine change in the Sahel requires a focused long-term engagement that is able to meet the population’s most urgent needs at the same time. This is no small task. The different crises that undermine progress in this vast region are deep-rooted and intertwined, requiring a coherent, efficient and coordinated response focused on fragile and priority areas.
Aware of this, the Sahel Alliance’s Steering Committee (Comité de Pilotage, COPIL) decided earlier this year to commit to delivering such a response. In order to identify fragile and priority areas, a challenge in itself, different tools have come into play, including the ‘Integrated Framework for Priority Action’ (IFPA), the World Bank’s Risk and Resilience Assessment (RRA Sahel) or the Platform for Analysis, Monitoring and Learning (Plateforme d’Analyse, de Suivi et d’Apprentissage au Sahel, PASAS). IFPA stands out for both having received the political support of the G5 Sahel countries and being the result of a close partnership between those countries and the European Union.
In February 2020, the Heads of State of the G5 Sahel at the Nouakchott summit adopted IFPA with a view to identify realistic, flexible and measurable actions in fragile areas and to broaden humanitarian interventions. Its purpose is not to replace the Strategy for Development and Security (Stratégie pour le développement et la sécurité, SDS) or the Priority Investments Programme (Programme d’investissements prioritaires, PIP), but to supplement them with a programme of quick-impact projects. IFPA provides a list of ‘Priority Intervention Areas’ (PIA) where concrete, flexible and realistic actions may be undertaken in order to obtain quick and measurable results, within the Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus. In turn, PIAs are addressed by the ‘Emergency Development Programme’ (EPD), created in July 2018 at the specific request of the Heads of State of the G5 Sahel countries.
Under IFPA, actions follow an integrated approach at the local and regional level, covering four different axes: security, governance and reconciliation, infrastructures and resilience, human development and humanitarian action. These actions are all guided by five principles: ownership, coherence and coordination, subsidiarity, pooling of resources and accountability.
Great challenges lie ahead of the region. We have no doubt that under the political leadership of the Presidency of its General Assembly, the Sahel Alliance can deliver positive change and that assets such as IFPA can succeed and become points of reference for the Sahel.
Acting on the root causes of vulnerability
Maman Sidikou
Executive Secretary of the G5 Sahel
The Sahel Alliance and the G5 Sahel have initiated a constructive collaboration to achieve their common development objectives. In order to formalise and circumscribe the framework of their collaboration, to increase their impact and accelerate the implementation of joint projects, a Partnership Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Executive Secretariat of the G5 Sahel and the Alliance Coordination Unit (ACU) on October 30, 2018...
Read moreMaman Sidikou
Executive Secretary of the G5 Sahel
The Sahel Alliance and the G5 Sahel have initiated a constructive collaboration to achieve their common development objectives. In order to formalise and circumscribe the framework of their collaboration, to increase their impact and accelerate the implementation of joint projects, a Partnership Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Executive Secretariat of the G5 Sahel and the Alliance Coordination Unit (ACU) on October 30, 2018.
The agreement aims to strengthen coordination in the areas of great fragility of the G5 Sahel through a swift implementation on the ground of projects funded by members of the Sahel Alliance, which is likely to highlight the interplay of the partners’ various skills. In this context, the UCA supported the preparation of the Emergency Development Programme (EDP) as well as the mobilisation of funds and the monitoring of its implementation. The general objective of the EDP is to act on the root causes of vulnerability and improve the living conditions and social cohesion of populations in fragile cross-border areas of the Sahel.
These areas correspond to the three intervention zones of the Joint Force of the G5 Sahel, the West zone (Mali-Mauritania border), the Centre zone (Mali - Burkina Faso - Niger) and the East zone (Niger - Chad).
It comprises three pillars of intervention:
• Access to water and sanitation;
• Strengthening the resilience of vulnerable populations;
• Conflict prevention and strengthening of social cohesion.
The EDP implementation report to date shows positive results despite tremendous challenges, particularly as regards the coordination of stakeholders, cumbersome procedures and information sharing. In addition, as part of the implementation of the Priority Investment Program (PIP) according to an integrated territorial approach, the G5 Sahel has developed the Integrated Priority Action Framework (IPAF). The IPAF is intended to be a programmatic yardstick that emphasizes realistic, integrated, inexpensive actions with swift and visible impact.
A two-year Emergency Plan has been drawn up for its implementation. It includes twenty (20) priority actions for which the financing requirement amounts to approximately fifty million euros (€ 50 million). To this end, the Executive Secretariat of the G5 Sahel has extensive expectations regarding the establishment of a rapid reaction facility for the Sahel led by the BMZ. The collaboration between the Executive Secretariat of the G5 Sahel and the Sahel Alliance will be strengthened based on orientations given during the General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance in Nouakchott on February 25, 2020.
Development projects that meet the priorities of the G5 Sahel
The projects supported by members of the Sahel Alliance align with the national development plans of the 5 countries, but also with the frameworks established by the G5 Sahel. Two major initiatives are driving and bringing together a large number of development projects:
- The Priority Investment Programme (PIP)
As part of its development mission and to make security actions in the region sustainable, the G5 Sahel developed a Priority Investment Programme (PIP) that consists of 40 regional projects, representing a cost of 2.4 billion euros, in 2014.
PIP projects mostly target the border areas of the Sahel and illustrate the solidarity and cooperation between these countries that have chosen to bring a regional solution to crises. The PIP mainly focus on infrastructure initiatives aimed at creating greater access (roads, bridges, air links, extension of telephone coverage), access to resources (agro-hydraulic projects, electrification) and governance (inclusion of women, support for justice). It also includes an emergency stabilization programme to be deployed in the most vulnerable regions. The contribution of Sahel Alliance members to the PIP amounts to 1.8 billion euros.
- The Emergency Development Programme
In 2018, the Heads of State of the G5 Sahel requested that the Permanent Secretariat of the G5 Sahel (SPG5 Sahel) urgently launch quick-impact projects: the Emergency Development Programme (PDU).
Read more about the Emergency Development Programme
Support and encourage the private sector in the Sahel
Sandra Kramer
Director of EU-AU Relations, West and East Africa, European Union
Maria Shaw-Barragan
Director, Global Partners Department-Operations in Africa, Caribbean, Pacific, Asia and Latin America
Prosperity and inclusive growth are critical factors in ensuring sustainable development, peace and stability. Improving the living conditions and perspectives of young people in the Sahel region is therefore essential...
Read moreSandra Kramer
Director of EU-AU Relations, West and East Africa, European Union
Maria Shaw-Barragan
Director, Global Partners Department-Operations in Africa, Caribbean, Pacific, Asia and Latin America
Prosperity and inclusive growth are critical factors in ensuring sustainable development, peace and stability. Improving the living conditions and perspectives of young people in the Sahel region is therefore essential.
Private businesses, which create jobs and meet the specific needs of populations through their range of products and services, play a key role towards achieving that goal. The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a dramatic blow to the already relatively precarious situation of these companies in the Sahel.
In this context, much effort must be expended to support and promote the activity of the private sector. The Sahel is a dynamic region with a young and enterprising population, full of potential: better access to training, skills development and support to entrepreneurship can lead to concrete employment opportunities for young people, giving them confidence in the future. The Sahel is also a large market with considerable potential for improvement, provided that the competitiveness of economic actors is strengthened, that more industries develop, and that private investment is diversified (thanks to an improvement in the business climate). The Sahel, for example, enjoys significant levels of sunlight that could support a strong industry of clean and sustainable energy generation and become a source of income thanks to export.
Public investment alone is not enough to ensure the sustainable and inclusive growth that the Sahel needs. As committed partners in the region, we must support the efforts of the Sahel countries to improve the investment and business climate, allowing the private sector to thrive, and to participate fully in the socio-economic development of the populations.
For this reason, the EU and the EIB have chosen to launch and co-chair the “private sector” group within the Sahel Alliance in 2019. We are particularly happy to be able to lead these discussions, reflections and potential actions in a common spirit of exchange and coordination, with all the other partners of the Sahel Alliance and in close connection with the Sahelian partners. The general objective of the group is to pay particular attention to the development and support of the private sector in order to enhance its potential and multiply its critical contribution to the stabilisation and development of the region. To this end, the group lays a particular emphasis on job creation, access to financing, economic inclusion and sustainable growth.
The Sahel Alliance will seek to strengthen the spirit of constructive collaboration, by mutually sharing experiences and knowledge, by aligning objectives between donors in order to maximise the impact of resources and avoid duplication. Alliance members are already actively working to strengthen the business environment, support access to finance, improve infrastructure, and strengthen the capacities and technical skills of SMEs and young entrepreneurs. It is time to jointly capitalise on these efforts.
We are pleased to note the strong commitment of the members of the Sahel Alliance in the group, which has already started working and launched monthly thematic workshops with a first workshop dedicated to access to financing in the Sahel countries, which was a resounding success. We would like to thank them warmly for their participation.
The Sahel Alliance in brief
6 priority sectors
Energy and climate
Agriculture, rural development and food security
Decentralization and basic services
Education and youth employment
Governance
Domestic security
4 cross-cutting themes
Gender
Youth
Climate
Private sector
5 countries
Burkina Faso
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Chad
14 members
Germany
France
European Union
The World Bank
African Development Bank
Italy
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Spain
Denmark
Netherlands
Luxembourg
United Kingdom
European Investment Bank
Norway
11 observer members
Observer members participate in decision-making meetings of the Sahel Alliance as well as in the work and activities of sectoral and thematic groups, including in the field in the G5 countries. However, they do not integrate their development projects into the portfolio designated and monitored by the Alliance.
USA
Canada
Japan
Belgium
Switzerland
Finland
International Finance Corporation
Bill & Melinda Gates Fundation
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Republic of Ireland
Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
For a multisectoral approach
Soukeyna Kane
Director of World Bank Operations for Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad
The World Bank Group's commitment to the Sahel will reach US $ 8.5 billion thanks to resources mobilised through the International Development Association for the 2020-2023 cycle. Increasing by more than 2 billion compared to the previous International Development Association (IDA) cycle, it will be part of the recently adopted Fragility, Conflict, Violence strategy...
Read moreSoukeyna Kane
Director of World Bank Operations for Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad
The World Bank Group's commitment to the Sahel will reach US $ 8.5 billion thanks to resources mobilised through the International Development Association for the 2020-2023 cycle. Increasing by more than 2 billion compared to the previous International Development Association (IDA) cycle, it will be part of the recently adopted Fragility, Conflict, Violence strategy.
This ambitious programme will seek, on the one hand, to invest in conflict prevention and resilience, respond to the current security, health, economic and climate crisis and, on the other hand, to initiate the structural reforms and investments needed to enable an economic transformation as well as job creation. The intervention principles on which this programme is based are:
Increase resource mobilisation from governments, the World Bank Group , other partners, the private sector and other non-state actors;
Focus on a number of limited priorities likely to deliver tangible results for the people by 2023, prepare critical thematic priorities to be developed / pursued / deepened over the next 2 IDA cycles in order to lay the groundwork for key reforms for economic transformation in the medium and long term;
Increase our speed of execution for faster and more effective impact.
The multisectoral and territorial approach, meanwhile, is based on a strong desire to adapt our operational model in order to obtain faster and lasting results, both in areas already affected by violence and in areas still spared but under pressure and subject to risks of extension of conflicts in the short and medium term (prevention areas). This approach will be structured around the following three focus areas:
Better understand the dynamics of conflict, thanks to (i) analytical tools, such as the Risk and Resilience Assessment (RRA) and an investment in operational research, and (ii) cooperation with members of the G5 and the Sahel Alliance with a view to frequently updating the list of “fragile areas” (in conflict or prevention);
Then, recalibrate the projects under implementation to quickly reorient them towards fragile areas, as part of a multi-donor intervention, in consultation with security actors and humanitarian workers. In a sense, it is a matter of replicating on a larger scale what we have jointly achieved in central Mali in the town of Konna, by reorienting existing projects towards specific needs, in close collaboration with the government and local elected officials, communities, Sahel Alliance partners and national and international security forces.
Finally, put in place an instrument for intervention in line with the development of multisectoral emergency projects to invest in conflict prevention and the resilience of vulnerable communities, territories and groups, in order to have a large-scale impact that is rapid and measurable for the populations in fragile areas.
This approach will require maximising the use of the flexibilities offered by internal procedures for responsiveness that are adapted to the complexity and volatility of situations. The objective is in fact to implement these operations within the framework of good coordination within the Alliance and with security and humanitarian actors.
The need for strengthened and innovative partnerships
Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade
Director general for West Africa, African Development Bank (AFDB)
On behalf of the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, we welcome this 3- year report of the Sahel Alliance. As founding member, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has been actively involved in the Sahel Alliance since inception in 2017 to jointly confront the multidimensional crises and the unique development challenges facing the Sahel region...
Read moreMarie-Laure Akin-Olugbade
Director general for West Africa, African Development Bank (AFDB)
On behalf of the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, we welcome this 3- year report of the Sahel Alliance. As founding member, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has been actively involved in the Sahel Alliance since inception in 2017 to jointly confront the multidimensional crises and the unique development challenges facing the Sahel region. The Bank is leading the Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Security Working Group, co-leading the Climate Mainstreaming Working Group together with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and represented in the various other important working groups.
The challenges and opportunities in the G5 Sahel have never been greater. So has the need for strengthened and innovative partnerships along the security-development-humanitarian nexus. The Sahel Alliance is hence a pertinent platform to accelerate concerted delivery and more efficient, effective and agile development interventions in the Sahel region. Only a collective and coordinated approach focused on synergies and complementarity for inclusive and sustainable results on the ground across the G5 Sahel, particularly in the most fragile regions, will support the materialization of a stable and prosperous Sahel. Drivers of fragility, conflict and violence are complex, multi-dimensional, interlinked, compounding and evolving. Hence, prevention and mitigation measures have to cater this, be context-specific and adapted during implementation in dynamic environments in order to achieve comprehensive and lasting transformation. There are many noteworthy initiatives in this regard. For example, with its partners, the Bank is deploying one of its flagship initiatives, Desert to Power, to help speeding up economic development in the Sahel region through the deployment of solar technologies at scale. The Bank’s interventions are also supporting the creation of decent jobs for youth through its Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy. In close partnership with the Permanent InterState Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), the Global Alliance for Resilience Initiative (AGIR) and other Sahel Alliance partners, the Bank is implementing the Programme to Build Resilience to Food and Nutrition Insecurity in the West Sahel (P2RS) and the Africa Climate Smart Agriculture (ACSA) flagship of the Feed Africa Strategy, which contribute to reducing poverty and improving food and nutrition security in the Sahel. The Bank is currently preparing the second phase of P2RS in the G5 countries with the ambition to benefit 3,000,000 people during the period 2020-2025.
Through innovative approaches and mechanisms as well as strong partnerships, including with the Sahel Commission on Climate Change, the Bank has leveraged scarce resources to support the implementation of key climate resilience programs in the Sahel region. These include climate risk finance and insurance such as the Africa Disaster Risk Financing Program (ADRiFi), the Great Green Wall Initiative, and interventions that contribute to access to high quality, reliable climate and weather information that are so importantly needed in the Sahel. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the poorest and most vulnerable communities especially hard, exacerbating prior pressures. Again, this is where collaboration in the Sahel Alliance and with other partners, including but not limited to UNHCR, IOM, ICRC etc., matters for concerted efforts in COVID-19 response projects, boosting economic empowerment of women in the Sahel as well as other inclusive, capacity and resilience building interventions. All of these are important contributions to improve the quality of life across the Sahel. The momentum is there to unlock the region’s great opportunities and potential. The Sahel Alliance has never been more in demand as we collectively support the G5 Sahel governments to rapidly advance inclusive and green socio-economic progress, enhance livelihoods, address climate change and bolster resilience in the G5 Sahel countries. The African Development Bank is fully committed to do its part in this regard. Together, we will continue to strive for a prosperous, stable and resilient Sahel.
Sahel Alliance project portfolio
913 projects
under implementation as well as 108 projects under appraisal labelled Alliance Sahel and financed by the members in the region
€ 17.8 bn
of financial commitments for projects under implementation as well as €4 million of projects under investigation
€ 2.6 bn
invested in 2020 by Sahel Alliance members in the G5 Sahel countries
Project implementation: inventory*
Number of projects by priority sector
|
Education and youth employment |
Agriculture, rural development and food security |
Energy |
Governance |
Decentralization and basic services |
Domestic security |
Transectoral |
TOTAL |
|
|
Projects under study |
8 |
20 |
15 |
13 |
27 |
5 |
8 |
96 |
|
Current projects |
97 |
253 |
48 |
91 |
268 |
23 |
49 |
829 |
|
TOTAL |
105 |
273 |
63 |
104 |
295 |
28 |
57 |
989 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financial commitment (in millions of €)
|
Education and youth employment |
Agriculture, rural development and food security |
Energy |
Governance |
Decentralization and basic services |
Domestic security |
Transectoral |
TOTAL |
|
|
Projects under study Amount in € million |
117 |
448 |
851 |
432 |
1138 |
10 |
512 |
3508 |
|
Current projects Amount in € million |
1539 |
4396 |
2576 |
1898 |
5331 |
428 |
629 |
16797 |
|
TOTAL |
1656 |
4844 |
3427 |
2330 |
6469 |
438 |
1141 |
20305 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Remainder to be disbursed (in millions of €)
|
Education and youth employment |
Agriculture, rural development and food security |
Energy |
Governance |
Decentralization and basic services |
Domestic security |
Transectoral |
TOTAL |
|
|
Projects under study Amount in € million |
117 |
448 |
851 |
432 |
1138 |
10 |
512 |
3508 |
|
Current projects Amount in € million |
830 |
2135 |
2235 |
730 |
2923 |
143 |
289 |
9285 |
|
TOTAL |
947 |
2583 |
3086 |
1162 |
4061 |
153 |
801 |
12793 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* figures as of 12/31/2020
Analysis of implementation of the projects
Each member organisation has the opportunity to include, in Alliance Sahel’s project portfolio, development projects that meet the following criteria:
• Implemented in the G5 Sahel countries;
• Relates to one of the six key sectors of the Sahel Alliance;
• Implementation was not completed as of January 1, 2017.
The projects that fall under the portfolio are then designated as “Sahel Alliance”.
How was the project monitoring method developed?
The validated results framework contains:
- 25 national impact indicators
- 15 so-called “project” indicators, corresponding to result / product / output indicators
The imperative of accountability
SEM Tertius Zongo
Director of the Sahel Chair of the Foundation for Studies and International Development Research (FERDI)
The need for the stakeholders involved in the development of the Sahel to strive to ensure the maximal effectiveness of their actions is all the greater in these times that are fraught with multifaceted challenges. This imperative requires that these actions be coordinated, but also that it be possible to monitor them in order to analyse them, report to the main stakeholders, and thus optimise their impact...
Read moreThe imperative of accountability
SEM Tertius Zongo
Director of the Sahel Chair of the Foundation for Studies and International Development Research (FERDI)
The need for the stakeholders involved in the development of the Sahel to strive to ensure the maximal effectiveness of their actions is all the greater in these times that are fraught with multifaceted challenges. This imperative requires that these actions be coordinated, but also that it be possible to monitor them in order to analyse them, report to the main stakeholders, and thus optimise their impact.
Crafting a relevant response to Sahelian issues therefore requires quality accountability from all. Everyone is aware of this, but the task remains difficult. The establishment of the Sahel Alliance and the G5 Sahel illustrate the willingness of public stakeholders to combine efforts for improved results. We must welcome these initiatives that allow for a better coordination of the development actions carried out in the field by pooling expertise and project data. However, their success also hinges on a constant, in-depth examination of these actions and their associated flows that only independent instruments can perform in an objective manner.
This outside perspective, grounded in local expertise, is the very essence of the Sahel Chair that Ferdi created in 2018. Based in Ouagadougou, it is an independent tool and aims to inform the decisions of public and private actors in their action to end the crisis and for the sustainable development of the region. Its work examines the implementation of different plans and policies and their effects, the purpose being to strengthen their impact on populations and in the target sectors of activity (education, rural development, health, governance/institutions). Those who know best the challenges of the Sahel remain the Sahelians themselves. This is why the Sahel Chair strives to build on Sahelian capacities for research and knowledge production, and to work closely with African administrations and their development partners.
The Sahel Chair is of course only one link in the chain, but a link that we seek to make as useful as possible by fighting against the partitioning of actors, in particular through networking experts from various backgrounds (researchers, soldiers, diplomats, civil society actors, etc.).
The partnership established between the Sahel Chair and the Sahel Alliance with a view to collecting and aggregating the results of projects in the Alliance Sahel portfolio in this way takes on its full meaning. This fundamental exercise of accountability has thus made it possible to develop an innovative method with a view to aggregating the results of several institutions and highlighting concrete advances in the field. Accountability, a complex exercise that is ever so necessary in the search for efficiency, but also for trust with the populations, is everyone's business, and it is collectively and transparently that the challenges of this region will be overcome.
"A relevant response to Sahelian issues implies reciprocal and quality accountability”.
What changes in the lives of populations?
For all of the 507 projects selected in the monitoring and evaluation exercise, all the concrete achievements of the projects were collected. This made it possible to highlight 648 concrete and tangible achievements in view of the objectives of the Sahel Alliance on the ground realised in the first 3 years of the Sahel Alliance.
Education and youth employment
The Sahel is one of the youngest regions in the world
The birth rate remains high in the G5 Sahel countries, while life expectancy is increasing. The 50 million or so young people under the age of 30 now represent almost 65% of the total population of these countries. Creating economic opportunities for the populations and above all for the youth is a priority of the Sahel Alliance. This means increased access to education and job opportunities by 2022.
|
Indicator |
Number of people who have benefited from vocational training and/or skills development initiatives thanks to the support of SA members |
|
Result |
419 045 |
Agriculture, rural development and food security
Two out of three inhabitants make a living from agriculture and animal husbandry
With low yields and the loss of more than a third of crops each year, agricultural production in the G5 countries remains fragile. A situation made worse by climate change. It is therefore imperative for the region to develop sustainable agriculture that is resistant to climate change and likely to attract job seekers in order to reduce poverty. It must also succeed in managing the conflicts between farmers and breeders, an important factor in the crisis..
|
Indicator |
Hectares of land benefiting from sustainable management techniques thanks to the support of SA members |
Number of producers or breeders with access to advisory services for the sustainability and resilience of their activities |
Number of km of developed transhumance corridors or cattle trails |
Number of people who received food assistance |
|
Result |
1 479 565 |
514 617 |
1 134 |
2 910 286 |
Access to energy
The Sahel has enormous renewable energy potential
The electrification rate in all the G5 Sahel countries is around 20%, a rate twice lower than the average for sub-Saharan Africa and four times lower than the world average.
The sector remains largely characterised by the absence of competition and a production that is too limited to meet demand. Improving public electricity services therefore requires more efficient management of the sector, in order to reduce losses, improve the financial health of the operators, encourage private sector investment and ensure that populations have access to reliable, clean and affordable electricity.
Innovation is the other key factor in the development of the electricity sector. Innovative solutions must be found to lower the cost of new energies, improve network efficiency, increase the competitiveness of the operators and devices, and digitise infrastructures and decentralised services.
|
Indicator |
Number of people who received electrical access or improved electrical access thanks to the support of SA members |
Number of households with access to off-grid electricity services |
Installed renewable capacity (MW) |
Additional transfer capacity between Alliance countries (MW) |
|
Result |
554 233 |
146 302 |
54 |
Not reported |
Decentralisation and basic services
Supporting the improvement of living conditions in the most isolated regions
The availability and quality of basic public services are generally low in the G5 Sahel countries. The region has a high rate of infant mortality and access to drinking water, primary health care or social protection remains very limited.
Providing these services would not only accelerate the development of the region, but also restore or increase citizens’ confidence in public institutions and their legitimacy. The decentralisation and deconcentration of public services would make it possible to better ensure the provision of these services and to bring elected officials and administrations closer to their citizens, thanks to the transfer of competences and of related resources to the level of local communities and territories.
|
Indicator |
Number of people who have benefited from improved access to safe drinking water supply services thanks to the support of SA members |
Number of people with improved access to sanitation services |
Number of children vaccinated |
Number of women of childbearing age using a family planning method |
Number of medical facilities (hospitals, nursing homes, medical centres, etc.) that have benefited from the support of SA members |
|
Result |
5 363 385 |
1 595 320 |
3 397 996 |
661 211 |
520 |
Governance
The G5 Sahel countries are faced with a lack of institutional, territorial and financial governance. Citizens are demanding more justice and public institutions that are accountable and attuned to their needs. They also want to participate more in their country’s democratic life. Administrative delays, corruption and the poor redistribution of resources have led citizens to harbour little confidence in their institutions and governments. The Sahel Alliance can help, with the support of the states and of civil society, to strengthen the social contract at every territorial level.
|
Indicator |
Number of magistrates, judges, lawyers and registrars who have received training |
Number of civil society organisations (including CSOs, media, opinion leaders) that have received support from SA partners |
|
Result |
2 374 |
1 264 |
Domestic security
The multiplication of cross-border threats in the Sahel region (terrorism, trafficking, organised crime) is putting pressure on the internal security forces, as they lack human, financial and material resources and find it difficult to define clear common priorities. The Sahel Alliance works in particular on the justice and rule of law aspect, which is at the heart of the development-security nexus, in order to establish a relationship of trust between the ISFs and citizens, while strengthening their capacities.
|
Indicator |
Number of members of the internal security forces (police, gendarmerie and nomadic guard when there is one) who have benefited from training aimed at strengthening operational, judicial and administrative capacities |
|
Result |
677 |
Conclusion
Conclusion and future prospects
Adrien Haye
Head of the Sahel Alliance Coordination Unit
The Sahel Alliance is celebrating its 3-year anniversary. Although still young, this initiative launched by Germany, France and the European Union has been an undeniable success, bringing together, in three years, a large number of aid actors in the Sahel. Strong governance bodies have been put in place, without compromising the agility and flexibility of their origins. Partnerships have been forged with the G5 Sahel, which is fully involved in our decisions and whose concerns must remain the foundation and framework of our interventions...
Read moreAdrien Haye
Head of the Sahel Alliance Coordination Unit
The Sahel Alliance is celebrating its 3-year anniversary. Although still young, this initiative launched by Germany, France and the European Union has been an undeniable success, bringing together, in three years, a large number of aid actors in the Sahel.
Strong governance bodies have been put in place, without compromising the agility and flexibility of their origins. Partnerships have been forged with the G5 Sahel, which is fully involved in our decisions and whose concerns must remain the foundation and framework of our interventions. Strong orientations and priorities have been defined and conveyed to the highest political level. The relevance of the initiative is no longer in doubt. But the Alliance must now consolidate its action and demonstrate, in a tangible and visible way for our beneficiaries and for the sake of public opinion, increased effectiveness on the ground. The urgency of the situation, which continues to deteriorate despite increasing amounts of aid, demands it.
This increased efficiency requires innovative approaches, novel ways of operating that are adapted to the specificities and constraints of the field, increasingly coordinated and coherent interventions that take into account all the challenges to which they must respond. These new modes of action, and the range of tools that accompany them, are already operational, as the numerous testimonies in this report illustrate. Increasing our effectiveness also means being able to measure the results obtained, to assess the successes and limits of our action.
This is the subject of this report, which summarises the considerable work carried out over nearly two years in partnership with the Sahel Chair, whose collaboration I welcome. Work that could always be further improved, of course, but which was intended to be as fair as possible. The scope of the analysis is limited by the amount and quality of data collected. But it does allow us to draw several lessons, for example that the implementation rates of projects, admittedly variable between sectors and countries, are higher than what is generally believed, that their very concrete impacts are far from being negligible (half a million farmers supported in their activities, access to drinking water for 7% of the inhabitants of the G5 Sahel, more than 1,200 civil society organisations supported, etc.).
It also shows that the sectors of decentralisation and basic services on the one hand, and agriculture, rural development and food security on the other, constitute the two main sectors of intervention of our members by volume. This is entirely consistent with the needs of the G5 countries and the realities of this environment, where a majority of the inhabitants live from agriculture and where essential services remain largely insufficient in the peripheral areas.
But I would like to make a plea here for us to step up our efforts in the field of education and youth employment. The Sahel countries will not be able to sustainably meet the challenges they face if their youth are not educated, socially integrated and have no prospects for the future.
I hope that this report will encourage us to do better and to do more, together with and on behalf of the Sahelian populations. This ambition guides the day-to-day action of the Alliance Coordination Unit, which draws strength from the disciplinary and cultural diversity of the women and men who make it up. I know that I can count on the determination of the presidency of our general assembly and of our operational steering committee, and beyond that, our members, to achieve this.
Closing word
Ms. Arancha Gonzáles Laya
Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation
President of the General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance
Three years after its creation, the Sahel Alliance has established itself as the main platform for coordination and consultation on international development cooperation in the region and as a privileged mechanism for dialogue with the G5 Sahel and its Member States...
Read moreMs. Arancha Gonzáles Laya
Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation
President of the General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance
Three years after its creation, the Sahel Alliance has established itself as the main platform for coordination and consultation on international development cooperation in the region and as a privileged mechanism for dialogue with the G5 Sahel and its Member States.
My accession to the presidency of the General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance coincided with a serious of the security situation and development conditions in the region against the backdrop of the pandemic, with its direct impact on people’s lives. In addition, the prevailing complex political situation creates new uncertainties as regards the stability of the region.
Since my election to the presidency of this institution, I have seen the potential of the Sahel Alliance to meet the enormous needs of the region and to maintain a harmonious and structured dialogue with the authorities of these countries. My intention is to elevate the role of the Alliance to that of a leading actor for development. In addition to priorities such as interventions in fragile areas, pandemic response, food security, resilience and climate change, there are a number of issues related to governance, human rights and the promotion of equality and women's rights to be taken into account in defining our action in the Sahel.
My country holds the presidency of the General Assembly as a token of its commitment to the region, which is a top priority for Spain. Our involvement in this nearby region is anything but new: for years, we have been deploying considerable resources and efforts to support the countries that form part of it in their development, peace and stability processes. In the difficult economic situation that prevails today, Spain has renewed and strengthened its commitment on all fronts: politics, development and security.
At the political level, this commitment is reflected in intense collaboration and political dialogue at the highest level with the G5 Sahel and its member states, as well as an increased diplomatic presence. In the area of security, let us point out our participation in the EU's CSDP missions, our logistical support to Operation Barkhane, MINUSMA and the G5 Sahel Joint Force, as well as our leadership in the initiative in favour of regional stability GAR-SI Sahel, led by the EU.
In the area of development, Spanish cooperation is based on an integrated approach to development, promoting resilience, access to basic social services, economic development and institutional reinforcement, with the promotion of gender equality being at the heart of our priorities. Our participation in the Alliance is a testament to our strong will to contribute to the common goal of supporting the achievement of the development goals of countries in the region.
The Sahel Alliance is a large family that now has 13 members and 11 observers, and works hand in hand with the G5 and its member states. I am grateful for all the efforts expended to make this very close collaboration possible, and I am convinced that only coordinated work and the involvement and ownership on the part of the G5 Sahel countries will allow us to provide an appropriate response to the challenges that lie ahead.