Regional planning workshop

Location: Dakar

Contact: UICN- WACA BAR  

Description: A 2025 Review and 2026 Activity Planning

Partners: Countries, partners, donors

Date: 27-31 October, 2025

In Godjémé, WACA’s multifunctional platforms are transforming community life

The WACA project has installed multifunctional platforms (PTFM) in several localities of Togo—including Godjémé (Yoto), Afito (Yoto), Adamé (Lacs), and Nyamessiva (Avé)—to strengthen livelihoods, improve daily life, and support household economic empowerment.

Powered by solar energy, the platforms provide maize mills, rice and cassava shellers, mobile phone charging stations, machete and knife sharpeners, public lighting, and household electrification—serving as a true driver of local development.

84 04: WACA ResIP Togo’s toll-free hotline, giving communities a voice

WACA ResIP Togo has launched a toll-free hotline (84 04) as part of its grievance redress mechanism, giving communities a direct channel to raise concerns, submit complaints, and request information about project activities. The initiative aims to foster better understanding and stronger ownership of the project.

The hotline is available free of charge at all times, regardless of call duration. Two secretaries ensure constant availability to answer calls, supported by a network technician who can intervene when needed.

La Voix du Littoral, Mauritania’s First Media Outlet Dedicated to the Coast

In less than two years, La Voix du Littoral—born from a partnership between WACA Mauritania and Radio Mauritanie—has established itself as the country’s first media outlet entirely dedicated to coastal issues. Since October 2023, nearly one hundred programs have been produced and broadcast in national languages (Hassanya, Pulaar, Soninké, and Wolof), at a pace of four per week. These programs address topics related to the environment, public health, and the impacts of climate change, while also giving communities a platform to voice their concerns.

UNOC 3: WACA Puts Coastal Resilience at the Forefront of Sustainable Coastal Development in West Africa

On the occasion of the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3), the West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program (WACA) organized a side event on June 13 in Nice under the theme: “Coastal Resilience as the Foundation of Coastal Development.”

The WACA Project closes six new coastal breaches to protect Nouakchott from rising sea levels

Following the successful closure of three major breaches, the WACA project in Mauritania has launched work to seal six additional breaches along the coastal dune system that shields Nouakchott. The goal: to strengthen the capital’s resilience to increasing risks of flooding and marine intrusion.

In Mauritania, WACA takes action against plastic bags

On Oceans Day, August 8, 2025, the WACA project and the Mauritanian Ministry of the Environment launched a major awareness campaign against the dangers of using plastic bags.

PRCM Launches Two Calls for Proposals to Strengthen Coastal Resilience in West Africa

As part of the implementation of the regional component of the WACA ResIP program, the Regional Partnership for Coastal and Marine Conservation (PRCM), in collaboration with UEMOA, the World Bank, and several technical partners, is launching two calls for proposals aimed at strengthening the resilience of West African coastal zones.

WACA progress and outlook discussed in Bissau

The Regional Steering Committee (CRP) of the WACA Projects held its first meeting of the year from June 30 to July 4, 2025, in Bissau, Republic of Guinea-Bissau.

Protecting Grand-Lahou: The Minister of Environment and the World Bank visit the coastal stabilization works

The Ivorian Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development, and Ecological Transition, Mr. Jacques Assahoré Konan, and World Bank Vice President for West Africa, Mr. Ousmane Diagana, visited Grand-Lahou on June 28, 2025, to assess progress on critical coastal stabilization works under the West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program (WACA).

Sandy beaches and coastal dunes

As part of its support to the WACA Program, IUCN highlights the increasing pressures threatening sandy beaches and coastal dunes in West Africa. Erosion, sea-level rise, coastal infrastructure, and sand mining are driving the degradation of these ecosystems, which are critical nesting sites for turtles and bird species.

Mangroves for West Africa

As part of its support to the WACA Program, IUCN highlights—through this visual—the major threats to mangroves in West Africa. Preserving these vital ecosystems requires coordinated regional action in the face of rising sea levels, deforestation, and increasing human pressures

WACA Convenes First National Assembly Forum to Discuss Project Objectives and Activities

The WACA Project convened a joint forum of the National Assembly Select Committee on Environment, Sustainable Development and NGO Affairs, and the Select Committee on Monitoring the Implementation of Government Projects. The meeting, held on February 25, 2025, was intended to brief the committees on the WACA Project’s objectives, initiatives, challenges, and expected impact.

Over 220 Hectares of Mangroves Restored in Guinea-Bissau Thanks to WACA

To mark the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem on July 26, the Institute for Biodiversity and Protected Areas (IBAP), through the WACA project, is launching a new national mangrove restoration campaign. In 2024 alone, the initiative has already restored 224.3 hectares in the Cacheu River Mangrove Natural Park, supported by project funding.

WACA Raises Awareness on Coastal Degradation at the Largest Cultural Festival in the Bijagos Archipelago

As part of its mission to raise awareness about coastal degradation, the WACA Guinea-Bissau project launched a large-scale communications campaign during the Bubaque festivals (Escadinha and Bruce) — the largest cultural events in the Bijagos Archipelago — reaching over 9,000 participants from across the country and the Guinean diaspora.