Coastal erosion, loss of habitat and coastal ecosystem services puts sustainable development at risk in Cote d’Ivoire. This is why the country requested to be part of the West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program (WACA).

On May 18-19, 2016, the government of Côte d’Ivoire launched its activities under the West Africa Coastal Areas (WACA) program. The workshop took place in Grand-Lahou (about 100 km west of Abidjan), Côte d’Ivoire, an areas heavily affected by coastal erosion.

The objectives of the workshop was to inform the up-coming planned investment program. The workshop brought together together the main stakeholders involved in coastal management in Côte d’Ivoire, who were introduced the WACA program and its activities regionally and in Côte d’Ivoire. The event also allowed to show the synergies and integration between the Bank funded interventions in the fisheries sector and under WACA, as well as activities underway by partners. The workshop concluded with a presentation of the Terms of Reference for the Resilience Action Plan of Grand Lahou that eventually is expected to be supported by the World Bank and development partners.

The workshop program (see below) included discussions on the need for regional coordination and planning, improved governance, the technical requirements for national and regional  level monitoring, data, spatial planning, needs for regional observatory with national nodes.

The event benefitted from experts and peers from neighboring Ghana, Togo, Benin and Mauritania. As well as partners involved in coastal management in Côte d’Ivoire including the Global Environment Facility, French Development Agency, International Union for Conservation of Nature, USAID, European Union, the Abidjan Convention under United Nations Environmental Program, United Nations Development Program, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the West Africa Economic and Monetary Union. 

For more information check out the workshop report (French)