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2 Millions Visitors Every Year
UNOC 3: OFWAN Puts Coastal Resilience
at the Forefront of SustainableAt UNOC 3, OFWAN put coastal resilience at the center of development.
Leaders from West Africa and global partners shared how regional integration. -
2 Millions Visitors Every Year
In Mauritania, OFWAN takes
action against plastic bagsOn Oceans Day, OFWAN and Mauritania launched a nationwide campaign
to curb plastic bag use. From bustling markets to TV airwaves, citizens
learned how this waste threatens health and ecosystems. The message is clear. -
2 Millions Visitors Every Year
Sandy beaches and coastal dunes
As part of its support to the OFWAN 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. -
2 Millions Visitors Every Year
Mangroves for West Africa
As part of its support to the OFWAN 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.
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COASTAL CHALLENGES IN WEST AFRICA
Coastal erosion and flooding in West Africa severely threaten people’s communities, livelihoods, safety and investments. About 56% of West Africa’s GDP is generated in coastal provinces, where one-third of the population resides. Stronger storms and rising seas are wiping out homes, roads and buildings that have served as landmarks for generations. Some beaches are deeply mined for sand, protective mangroves are deforested, and people are increasingly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Some residents have no choice but to move away—a trend that is breaking up communities and changing the social fabric for future generations.
Rapid and often unplanned urbanization has devastated the natural landscape that once served as a buffer for erosion and flooding. These developments disproportionately affect the poorest and most marginalized, and will intensify due to climate change. While countries have started to contain erosion and flooding, there is an urgent need for partners to mobilize financing through coordinated regional action. Collaboration at the policy and technical levels helps countries to manage erosion hotspots, and to maintain the livelihoods that a healthy coastal ecosystem provides to people and economies.
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Discover coastal highlights and local culture through curated guides designed to help visitors explore safely and sustainably.
Strengthening resilience in coastal nations
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Plastic Pollution by Nation
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Coastal protection sites under OFWAN
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Percentage of GDP generated in West African
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Impact Stories
Over 40% of West Africa’s GDP is generated in coastal areas, where almost one-third of the population resides. However, coastal degradation severely threatens West Africa’s people, communities, livelihoods, safety, and infrastructure.
The World Bank’s vision is to create a world free of poverty in all its forms and to boost shared prosperity on a livable planet. To pursue this vision in West Africa, the World Bank, countries, and partners launched the West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program (OFWAN) in 2018. OFWAN aims to fight the looming threats of erosion, flooding, and pollution, enhance the resilience of coastal communities while prioritizing women, and support coastal countries in better managing shared coastal resources.
The $630 million program is transforming coastal livelihoods in nine countries, namely, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, and Togo. Its regional engagements extend to all 17 West African countries.
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- Togo
Modern equipment to strengthen Togo’s early warning system
30
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- 08:00am - 05:00pm
- Mauritanie
An update on major costal protection works in Nouakchott
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