KNOWLEDGE SHEET 1 S T R E N G T H E N I N G R E G I O N A L C O L L A B O R AT I O N A N D I N T E G R AT I O N KNOWLEDGE SHEET 1 Strengthening Regional Collaboration and Integration W est Africa’s coastal area is critical to the region, home to a third of its people and the source of about half of its GDP. Because most of it is composed of mangroves and sand formations, the area’s coastline is also highly vulnerable to erosion caused by coastal currents and storm surges. Erosion is evident from Mauritania to Gabon—and the rates of erosion are increasing. Around the port of Lomé, for example, Togo’s coastline is estimated to have receded by as much as 12–15 meters a year (UEMOA 2010). The importance of the area and its vulnerability to climate and updated information on the coast’s characteristics, change make it an area of increasing concern for govern- identified challenges, and made recommendations for ments in the region. Projected population growth along priority actions and a regional plan. The analysis covers 11 the coast, migration from inland and rural areas, and cli- countries, from Mauritania to Benin. In 2011, in Dakar, the mate change put added pressure on governments to act. 11 countries’ ministries of environment officially adopted the study’s recommendations. Over the past two decades, donors and regional and international organizations—including the African Several other diagnostics and strategic directions have Development Bank, the Economic Community of West also been prepared. One of them is the Guinea Current African States (ECOWAS), the German Agency for Large Marine Ecosystem (GCLME) transboundary diag- International Cooperation (GIZ), the Global Environment nostic analysis and strategic action program, which Fund, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission seeks, among other things, to improve the sustainability of UNESCO, the International Union for Conservation of fisheries and reduce land and sea-based pollution in of Nature (IUCN), the New Partnership for Africa’s 16 countries. Other examples of regional cooperation Development (NEPAD), the United Nations Development include the Abidjan Convention for Cooperation in the Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme, Protection, Management and Development of the Marine the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Coastal Environment of the Atlantic Coast of the West, and the West African Economic and Monetary Union Central and Southern Africa Region, which covers 14,000 (WAEMU)—have collaborated with countries in the region, kilometer of coastline from Mauritania to South Africa, and supporting sustainable coastal zone management, filling the West Africa Coast Observation Mission (WACOM), knowledge gaps, and facilitating implementation of a regional cooperation mechanism for monitoring and priority interventions. WAEMU’s regional shoreline mon- reducing risks to the coastline. itoring study and management scheme (2010) gathered Challenges The commitment at Dakar and the actions that followed Interventions are still being implemented piecemeal, with are encouraging. But not enough has happened to too little coordination among countries. address the challenges of coastal erosion and flooding. KNOWLEDGE SHEET 1 S T R E N G T H E N I N G R E G I O N A L C O L L A B O R AT I O N A N D I N T E G R AT I O N There is, however, a growing sense among the region’s • Sediment deficiency caused by regulation of rivers has countries that the time for action is now and that results downstream effects, including in neighboring countries. can be achieved only by collaborating regionally, based on decisions informed by up-to-date information. Regional • Flooding caused by marine pollution drifts along the collaboration and coordinated action are needed because coast, affecting river deltas and drainage canals. many of the challenges affecting the coastal region are • Loss of natural habitat caused by poor planning and transboundary in nature. Examples include the following: marine pollution adversely affects the regional fish • Erosion and accumulation of coastal sediments caused population and the livelihoods of communities that by coastal infrastructure build up in neighboring depend on them. countries. Solutions Regional approaches have proved successful in other and responsibilities associated with sustainable coastal sectors, such as in the context of power pools and river management equips countries to collaborate in the design, basin management. They provide a long-term framework implementation, and financing of regional and country for country actions and allow resources to be deployed projects, enhance the regional and national governance strategically and in a way that benefits from economies of sustainable coastal management, and improve the of scale. They complement integrated national coastal knowledge base about coastal erosion, flooding, and other management processes. climate change hazards along the West Africa coastline. Regional integration would improve the sustainability of Second, countries can support a regional observatory shared coastal waters, the protection of environmental and data repository. Building on the West Africa Coast services, and the livelihoods that depend on coastal Observatory Mission, national-level monitoring of coast- ecosystems. Cooperation would also contribute to the lines would provide a big picture view of trends in erosion, development of regional principles or guidelines for monitoring, and forecasting. The data collected would coastal infrastructure investments. trickle up to the regional observatory, which in turn would provide countries and regional agencies with the real- One major benefit of regional approaches is the econo- time data and information required to manage the risk mies of scale they provide. The costs of effective action of coastal erosion and flooding. are too high for a single country to mobilize. West African countries should be encouraged to engage collectively REFERENCE in the management of shared environmental coastal resources to achieve global environmental benefits and UEMOA (Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine). to capture a larger share of the market for global envi- 2010. Etude de suivi du trait de côte et schéma direc- ronmental services. teur littoral de l’Afrique de l’Ouest: Etude du cas au Togo. Caractérisation des états de plage dans deux Countries can promote regional approaches in two ways. cellules de dérive littorale: Côtes à l’ouest et à l’est First, they can support greater regional dialogue and du port de Lome. experience sharing. Understanding the costs, benefits, The West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program (WACA) is a convening platform that aims to assist West African countries to sustainably manage their coastal areas and enhance socio-economic resilience to the effects of climate change. The program also seeks to facilitate access to technical expertise and financial resources for participating countries. www.worldbank.org/waca 3/2016