The 2008 Dakar Rally was cancelled in January 2008 following security threats in Mauritania linked to al-Qaeda activity in the region. When the Amaury Sport Organisation decided to move the Dakar to South America permanently from 2009, a group of organisers saw the opportunity to continue the original African route concept. The Africa Eco Race launched its first edition in late December 2008, with competitive action beginning in early January 2009. The race covers more than 6,500 kilometres over approximately eleven stages, replicating the general geography of the historic Paris-Dakar route.
In addition to the sporting competition, the event has placed an emphasis on environmental awareness and sustainable development. Bivouac locations are deliberately chosen away from cities and airport tarmac. The organising body made commitments around waste reduction and created renewable energy projects in Mauritania, including photovoltaic power installations for a school in Nouakchott and a library in Chinguetti. A category for experimental vehicles running on renewable energy sources has been part of the event's structure, allowing electric, hybrid, and alternative-fuel vehicles to compete at scale under extreme conditions.
The Africa Eco Race is open to motorcycles, quads, cars, SSVs, and trucks. Vehicle classifications follow the French Motorcycle Federation sporting codes for two-wheelers and FIA regulations for cars and trucks. The full race runs the complete route competitively, while a Classic category — introduced for the 2024 edition — uses a regularity rally scoring system for historic vehicles. Two non-competitive Raid categories for motorcycles and cars allow participants to travel the route without time-based classification, providing access for those seeking the experience of the desert crossing without full race pressure.
The first edition in 2009 established the template for the race. Jean-Louis Schlesser, a veteran of the original Dakar who had twice won that event in buggies of his own construction, dominated the cars category in the early editions. Schlesser won the cars class in each of the first six editions from 2009 through 2014, a run of six consecutive victories that became the defining story of the early Africa Eco Race. His buggy designs, backed by his own team, outperformed rivals in a category that attracted a mix of purpose-built vehicles and adapted production cars.
In the motorcycle category, Willy Jobard won the inaugural event aboard a hybrid Zongshen. Czech competitor Tomáš Tomeček became the standout name in the trucks category, winning multiple editions in Tatra vehicles. Anton Shibalov of Russia and his Kamaz truck team emerged as a consistent rival force in the trucks class through the mid-2010s.
The 2015 edition saw the cars category won by Jean Antoine Sabatier with a Bugga One machine, ending Schlesser's consecutive wins. From the 2016 edition onward, departures shifted to Monaco, and the winning car class entries included Toyota Hilux and Mini vehicles from various crews. The 2021 edition was cancelled due to risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the few interruptions in the event's calendar.
The race has consistently crossed from European or Mediterranean start points into North Africa via ferry, with Morocco serving as the gateway. From there the route heads south through Western Sahara, into Mauritania, and finally finishes in or near Dakar, Senegal. The event has not engaged with the Polisario Front regarding access through Western Sahara, a stance that has drawn criticism given the disputed status of that territory.
Bivouac locations are selected in remote areas to keep the organisational footprint away from urban centres, in keeping with the event's stated environmental philosophy. The route passes through varied desert terrain including dunes, rock fields, and open piste sections characteristic of West African off-road environments.
The Africa Eco Race occupies a specific position in rally raid culture as the event that most directly continues the geographic and cultural tradition of the original Paris-Dakar. While the Dakar Rally evolved into a South American and then Middle Eastern event with much larger commercial backing, the Africa Eco Race maintained the Africa-to-Dakar corridor that gave the original event its identity. For competitors and enthusiasts invested in the original concept of a coast-to-coast African desert crossing, the race provides an alternative that emphasises the adventure aspect of rally raiding alongside the sporting competition.