China helping Africa green its deserts

For environment

African countries, including Mauritania, have also launched their own afforestation projects. Among the most prominent is the Great Green Wall Initiative, launched by the African Union in 2007 and involving 11 countries across the southern edge of the Sahara.

As part of this ambitious transnational effort, the China-Africa Green Technology Park in Mauritania, which was established in 2024, serves as a demonstration zone for applying China's desertification control experience in Africa.

An aerial photo offers a glimpse of this 2-hectare oasis amid the vast desert, where rows of thriving fruit trees and vegetable seedlings grow in neatly organized plots, while dark blue solar panels line the fields, supplying clean energy to power the irrigation system.

Just last year, this was a barren land swept by wind and sand, but by February, it had harvested the first batch of vegetables, said Zhou Na, a researcher at the XIEG, who has frequently traveled to Mauritania to assist with the park's development.

She explained that her team planted a shelter belt around the park, cultivating a variety of forage grasses, vegetables, fruits and ornamental plants such as bougainvillea and palm trees.

"We have harvested peppers, cabbage, watermelons and tomatoes, some of which have been supplied to local residents," Zhou said, adding that the team expects the park to not only help control sand but also bring tangible benefits to nearby communities.

"This is the ultimate goal," said Wang Yongdong, a senior engineer at the institute. "Not only to protect the environment, but also to support local economic and social development."

In addition to building the pilot demonstration zone, China has trained 45 local technicians in greening technologies and created 120 jobs for the local community.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Mauritanian Environment Minister Messouda Baham Mohamed Laghdaf called the park "a green revolution in the making", and described China as an "irreplaceable" partner.

Despite challenges like language barriers, divided approaches and lack of long-term planning, the Chinese scientists remain committed to expanding the scope of their efforts.

They plan to continue monitoring and research, aiming to develop replicable and sustainable models tailored to building Africa's "Great Green Wall".

"As a contract party in the global fight against desertification, China has both the responsibility and the commitment to promote these technologies," Wang said. "We are a community with a shared future, and we hope our anti-desertification cooperation efforts will reflect that spirit."