Pretoria: Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts, is expected to open the Southern African Great Green Wall Initiative (SA GGWI) Regional Capacity Building Workshop in Johannesburg.
According to South African Government News Agency, the workshop, which the Deputy Minister will open on Tuesday, is organized in partnership with the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). The event aims to bring together regional governments, development partners, financial institutions, and the private sector to accelerate the transition from policy commitments to investment-ready programmes. These programmes are designed to restore degraded landscapes, strengthen climate resilience, and unlock sustainable economic opportunities across Southern Africa.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment stated on Sunday that the workshop's goal is to equip stakeholders with the technical capacity needed to design, finance, and implement nature-based solutions. Additionally, the event will support the creation of a pipeline of bankable projects, which is expected to help close the financing gap for land restoration and climate resilience initiatives in the region.
The workshop will be held at The Capital on the Park from 27 April to 1 May 2025.