The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has launched the first-ever cooperative program that would assist about one million rural residents in the Sahel area. In the Republic of Senegal and the Group of Five Sahel nations, the US$180.4 million Regional Joint Programme will boost food systems and economic activity. G5 Sahel + 1 (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger) and the Republic of Senegal are partners in the initiative, which is called the Regional Joint Programme Sahel in Response to the Challenges of COVID-19, Conflict, and Climate Change (SD3C). The program will consist of IFAD-financed activities carried out in two three-year stages during a six-year implementation period. Phase 1 is expected to cost $55.7 million, while Phase 2 will cost $53.3 million. IFAD will finance $65.6 million through future financing cycles or from development partners, on top of the US$ 43.3 million that was agreed by the IFAD Executive Board in December. The Regional Joint Programme is receiving $71.4 million from the Green Climate Fund.