Balkissa Oumar

Nigerien environmentalist leading Africa's largest women-led tree planting initiative

Balkissa Oumar is a Nigerien environmental activist and founder of Great Green Wall Initiative's women's division. Born in 1975 in the Sahel region, she witnessed desertification forcing her family to migrate. In 2005, she pioneered the "Women and the Green Wall" program teaching agroforestry techniques to rural women.

Oumar's initiative has mobilized 50,000+ women across 9 African countries to plant over 15 million trees by 2022. Her work combats desertification while creating economic opportunities through shea butter production and sustainable agriculture. The UN recognized her efforts in 2018 with the "Land for Life Award".

Her approach empowers women as environmental leaders - 70% of tree nurseries in Niger are now managed by women trained through her programs. Oumar's TED Talk "How women are greening the Sahel" highlights her vision. Challenges include climate change acceleration and funding gaps, but her model has inspired similar programs in Burkina Faso and Mali.