From April 27 to 30, 2026, the twelfth edition of the Regional Marine and Coastal Forum (FOMACO) brought together stakeholders engaged in the governance of marine and coastal resources across West Africa in Nouakchott, Mauritania. Organized by the PRCM, the WACA Program was represented by UEMOA, led by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Water Resources and Environment, alongside the WACA Regional Support Office (WACA BAR) hosted by IUCN PACO and the World Bank team supporting the program.

Ahead of the Forum: Four days of training on the inclusive blue economy

From April 20 to 23, ahead of FOMACO, the WACA BAR co-organized, together with the African Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (ACECOR) at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, a regional training-of-trainers workshop on the inclusive blue economy. Bringing together 27 participants from several West African countries, the workshop aimed to equip regional stakeholders with approaches combining coastal resource conservation, social inclusion and economic development — promoting more resilient models for coastal communities.

The WACA BAR will also support the pool of experts established through the workshop in replicating the acquired knowledge at the national level, with the objective of strengthening the dissemination of the approaches and tools developed during the training.

During the Forum: Nature-based Solutions in the spotlight

During the forum, the WACA delegation contributed to several strategic sessions dedicated to Nature-based Solutions (NbS), their scaling-up, and the conditions needed for their adoption across West Africa. Discussions also focused on blue carbon and financing opportunities linked to coastal ecosystems, particularly mangroves.

A high-level plenary session dedicated to NbS brought together nearly 300 participants, reflecting the growing interest in these approaches across West Africa. The program also organized a side event dedicated to NbS knowledge resources, highlighting tools and experiences developed to support countries in their coastal resilience strategies.

An exhibition that drew strong interest

The WACA capitalization exhibition attracted nearly 250 visitors eager to discover the results achieved through WACA ResIP projects in coastal protection, ecosystem restoration and community resilience. Through visual panels, key figures and direct exchanges with participants, the exhibition showcased experiences and results achieved across the different program countries.

A key highlight of the participation took place on April 29, when a guided tour gathering around 100 participants brought together the Project Management Units (PMUs) from the six countries covered by WACA ResIP — Côte d’Ivoire, São Tomé and Príncipe, Benin, Mauritania, Togo and Senegal — providing a platform for exchanges on field experiences and results achieved across the West African coastline.

Strengthening Regional Momentum

With more than 550 cumulative interactions generated through its activities, the WACA Program strengthened its regional positioning on strategic themes such as Nature-based Solutions, the inclusive blue economy and blue carbon, while reinforcing synergies with regional partners around practical and replicable solutions for the West African coastline.