Inna Modja is a Malian-French artist, singer-songwriter, actress and activist for women’s rights and climate change. In 2019, she became an UNCCD Land Ambassador for the Sahel and against desertification. Inna appeared in, and wrote the music for, the UNCCD’s 2019 Great Green Wall documentary. The acclaimed film followed her extraordinary journey through Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Ethiopia. Speaking on the Creative Development podcast last year, Inna said, “I grew up in the Sahel. And as a woman, I wanted to show what the Sahel is going through; the beauties and the challenges and the hope and resilience of the people that I met along the Great Green Wall. I wanted to share their stories. So I started traveling in 2017, in rural areas in different countries, to spend time with the communities and understand.” With a strong following in Francophone West Africa and France, Inna is a leader among the young people committed to changing the narrative of the Sahel.

We spoke to her at COP28 where she expressed the importance of The Great Green Wall and putting women at the heart of climate action: “Women are truly the backbone of the Great Green Wall. In the communities, women are leading the projects. For climate solutions all around the world, women are a big part of it.