The Gambia, Ghana and Guinea-Bissau join the West African Coastal Area Management (WACA) Program
WASHINGTON, December 15, 2022 – Populations at immediate risk from coastal erosion, flooding and pollution, and people who depend on agribusiness and tourism along the coasts of Gambia, Ghana and Guinea-Bissau are will benefit from the West African Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project (WACA ResIP 2), approved today for a total amount of $246 million in International Development Association (IDA) financing*, including a $5 million PROBLUE grant.
This second WACA project includes a grant to the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) to coordinate regional organizations in improving regional integration, managing environmental flows and achieving economies of scale in managing the shared coastal resources necessary for climate resilience. World Bank financing has leveraged private sector financing for the blue carbon credit announced at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).
The blue economy is essential. About 42% of West Africa’s GDP is generated in the coastal areas, where almost a third of the population resides. The second WACA project is an expansion of the WACA Program that already included Benin, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal and Togo. In The Gambia, Ghana and Guinea-Bissau, the new project will support physical coastal protection using a mix of nature-based solutions and gray infrastructure to protect livelihoods and economic assets from coastal erosion and flooding and includes level social investments. community to increase climate resiliency at the local level.
Development challenges on the west coast of Africa are complex and multisectoral in nature, and no country can solve them alone. That is why the WACA Program by design includes regional integration and solutions.
“There is no doubt that physical cross-border solutions are required to stabilize the coastline from coastal erosion as we have already seen between Togo and Benin. This requires common policy, approaches and collaboration, and WAEMU wants to scale this up in WACA ResIP 2,” says Kako Nubukpo, WAEMU Commissioner for Food Security, Resources and Environment.
In addition to WAEMU, other key institutions participating in the WACA Program include: the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Abidjan Convention Secretariat ( ABC), the Center for Suivi Ecologique (CSE), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Regional Association for Coastal and Marine Conservation (PRCM), the Regional Network of Marine Protected Areas in West Africa (RAMPAO ), the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), and the Africa Regional Center of Excellence for Coastal Resilience (ACECoR) at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
“Solutions are meant to be regional to achieve sustainable results, and we see a natural complementarity in the mandates of these institutions, each focusing on specific issues, including economic, environmental, financial, political, human resource development. and research capacity. says Boutheina Guermazi, World Bank Director for Regional Integration for Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa. “We are pleased to see increasing cooperation and dialogue around the WACA Program. By working together with the countries, these institutions provide an adequate response and economies of scale at the regional level. Bringing in an academic partner, ACECoR, is important to train the next generation of highly-skilled human resources to achieve sustainable results.”
The WACA Program was launched in 2018, in response to countries’ call for solutions and funding to help protect and restore the ecological, social and economic assets of West African coastal areas by addressing coastal erosion, flooding and pollution. It helps participating countries to stabilize the coastline, prevent the loss of critical infrastructure such as coastal roads for transportation, and support healthy and productive coastal waters necessary for food security and natural capital.
With the approval of the second WACA project, total World Bank funding for the WACA Program amounts to $492 million (including $20 million grants from the Global Environment Facility and $5 million from PROBLUE), covering commitments in nine countries including: Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal and Togo, and WAEMU and associated regional institutions.
*The International Development Association (IDA) is the World Bank’s fund for the poorest. Established in 1960, it provides grants and low- or zero-interest loans for projects and programs that drive economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve the lives of poor people. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance to the world’s 76 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. IDA resources help bring about positive change in the lives of the 1.6 billion people who live in countries that qualify for IDA assistance. Since its inception, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments are constantly increasing and have averaged $21 billion over the last three years, with around 61% going to Africa.
