On retreat in Togo, World Bank operations managers paid a visit on January 26, 2024 to Aného, in southeastern Togo, on the Atlantic coast 45 km by road from Lomé, to see for themselves the coastal protection work on the Agbodrafo- Grand Popo cross-border segment provisionally handed over on September 5, 2023. The delegation was led by the WACA ResIP Togo TTL, Dr Hounkpè Koffi.

As far as the eye can see, rockfill structures have been built or rehabilitated on the east side of this beautiful Togolese beach. These are groins and a breakwater, large blocks that leave no one indifferent. Not even the Bank's operations managers. They were all amazed. Mr. Tony Verheijen, Head of Operations for the World Bank Togo, Benin, Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire, makes no secret of his satisfaction. 
"What I've just seen is impressive, and Togo is to be congratulated, especially as other countries haven't even started yet. And the explanations that the WACA engineer has just given us about durability reassure us: 50 years of life with maintenance after 15 years, that's really good".

"What I've just seen is impressive, and Togo is to be congratulated, especially as other countries haven't even started yet. And the explanations that the WACA engineer has just given us about durability reassure us that 50 years of life with maintenance after 15 years is really good.

Togo is not the only country to have finished the job, as its neighbor Benin has also signed a memorandum of understanding to work together. Thynah Nassila, Operations Analyst at the World Bank's Benin office, praised the political will of the two countries. She expressed the hope that this collaboration would continue in the very near future, with the start-up of the cleaning of the Gbaga channel, the fruit of integration between the two countries.
Dr Hounkpè Koffi, TTL WACA ResIP Togo, added: "Work on this channel will start in February 2024, while the resettlement plan (RAP) is implemented.

For his part, the mayor of Lacs 1 commune, Maître Alexis Aqéréburu, after talking with the World Bank delegation, explains: "Since the completion of this work, the number of visitors has increased. All the initiatives taken - the creation of an urban forest, green spaces, mountains in the future, reforestation - are designed to make Lacs 1 a commune of sustainable development".

The coastal protection works were carried out over 9 months, from November 2022 to July 2023, at a total cost of 9,109,089,500 FCFA (Nine billion one hundred and nine million eighty-nine thousand five hundred), financed by the Togolese government and its partners, notably the World Bank, GEF and IDA.

In Togo, a total of 14 structures have been built and rehabilitated, including 7 new structures at Agbodrafo, and 6 old structures rehabilitated at Aného, including a breakwater to combat marine submersion.

In addition, there is a 1,200 m vegetated sand dyke and a 3.5 km bicycle path for ecotourism purposes.