Advancing sustainable development through desertification control: Evaluating the African great Green Wall initiative...

Desertification remains a critical barrier to achieving the SDGs, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, where its impacts undermine efforts toward poverty reduction, environmental restoration, and climate resilience. This study evaluates desertification control efforts in 11 countries participating in the Pan-African Great Green Wall initiative using a novel Real-Coded Accelerated Genetic Algorithm combined with the Projection Pursuit model. The model effectively addresses non-normal, nonlinear data, and high-dimensional, enabling comprehensive assessment across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. The results indicate that countries such as Senegal, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia exhibit significant progress in desertification control, attributed to robust forest management, policy support, and investment in sustainable land use practices. In contrast, Sudan, Eritrea, and Mauritania face ongoing challenges due to limited resources and institutional capacities. Temporal analysis from 2014 to 2021 highlights the stability of desertification control trends, supported by global cooperation, innovative technologies, and the alignment of national strategies with SDG Target 15.3: attaining land degradation neutrality by 2030. This research provides actionable insights for policymakers, advancing sustainable strategies to combat desertification, enhance ecosystem restoration, and promote resilient livelihoods in Africa.