Supporting cooperation in the Sahel

Context

The Sahel states of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad form a region that has great potential, but also faces complex challenges: rising violence, a lack of prospects, noticeable effects of climate change and weak state institutions are hampering their development.

Since 2017, the Sahel Alliance has been supporting the region to tackle these challenges and promote sustainable development. Within this international coalition, donor countries coordinate their development cooperation in the region.

German Development Minister Svenja Schulze took over the presidency of the Sahel Alliance at the beginning of July 2023. Her presidency focuses on training and employment, food security and social security, and basic services. This is particularly important following the military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and most recently Niger.

Objective

Germany and other members use the Sahel Alliance to jointly coordinate and shape their development contributions in the region.

© Alliance Sahel/Aude Rossignol

Approach

The project works in two areas:

• Helping to shape the German contribution to the Sahel Alliance. The project supports the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with the technical and content-related aspects of Germany’s contribution. To this end, it draws on experience from German development cooperation projects, analyses the political context and observes trends in the region. It also supports a dialogue of experts among the participating countries.
• Supporting the organisation of the Sahel Alliance. The Sahel Alliance Secretariat (Unité de Coordination, UCA) assists members and organises Sahel Alliance meetings. The team works in Brussels and the Sahel countries to facilitate cooperation. Besides Germany, Canada, Italy, France and the West African Development Bank also support the secretariat with finance or human resources.

Last update: January 2025