Photo: Shawn N. Hounkpatin
Sustaining natural capital for increased water, energy and food security
The accelerating impacts of climate change make protecting natural capital—our forests, wetlands, soils and biodiversity—more urgent than ever. These ecosystems are vital for water, energy, and food security, and their degradation threatens human well-being. Investing in the preservation and restoration of natural systems is essential for building resilience and long-term sustainability.
In 2024, our continued support to enhance natural capital and the water-energy-food security of people vulnerable to the effects of climate change contributed to 3522 climate solutions, ranging from nature-based protection measures to climate-resilient water supply services. As women and girls are often the primary providers of water, food and energy – especially in rural areas – these solutions also play an important role in advancing gender equality. In addition, the size of area covered by sustainable resource management in our co-financed projects was more than 1.2 million hectares.
This section presents an example of our co-financing for nature-based solutions and regional integration in vulnerable coastal areas in West Africa. Detailed results and projections per indicator under this results area are provided in the datasheet.
West Africa Coastal Areas Program (WACA)
Catalytic finance for nature-based solutions in the coast of West Africa
Stretching over 3,400 kilometres, West Africa's coastline is estimated to be home to over 20 million people. The diverse coastline fuels the region's economy, serving as a vital centre for trade, fishing, tourism and other activities, driving more than 50% of the region’s GDP. However, the region is facing significant climate challenges: IPCC has highlighted that global warming, rising sea levels, and coastal erosion will have a more profound impact on West African coastal areas than in the previous century. These environmental changes pose serious risks to the livelihoods and habitats of millions living along the coast.
West Africa’s coastal area is also home to rich biodiversity and plays a crucial role in climate change mitigation and adaptation, for instance with the carbon-capturing properties of mangroves and with nature-based solutions reducing the risk of natural hazards. However, the coast is being degraded by coastal erosion, pollution and flooding with significant and potentially irreversible loss of critical ecosystems.
We have committed financing to the West Africa Coastal Areas Program (WACA) since its very beginning. In 2015, we provided a grant (EUR 500,000) to help strengthen the institutional capacity of Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast and Ghana, and this early-stage support opened the way for other public and private financing, culminating in the launch and expansion of the WACA Program into a multi-country regional response. Since 2018, we have financed WACA with a EUR 4 million loan to Benin, EUR 4.0 million loan to Senegal and EUR 5.1 million grant to the regional WACA Program.
West Africa’s coastal area is home to rich biodiversity and plays a crucial role in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Photo: Shawn N. Hounkpatin
Reinforcing regional collaboration and impact beyond environmental gains
Our financing to the WACA Program has contributed to greater regional integration and collaboration on coastal issues while building long-term resilience of vulnerable communities. Our early-stage investment and support for WACA has been key to the expansion of the programme, which now covers nine West African countries: Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Mauritania, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal and Togo. Since 2018, the WACA Program has mobilised close to EUR 500 million of additional climate finance across the different countries.
Now, early investments are paying off. The wider WACA Program has reduced the risks of coastal erosion and flooding for more than 170,000 people, restored and protected 28,000 hectares of natural ecosystems and improved livelihoods for more than 50,000 people—60% of them women. The programme continues to protect the coasts and the surrounding communities of West Africa.
“Thanks to WACA, we now have drinking water in the village and are safe from water-borne diseases. The project has also given us loans to carry out income-generating activities. We have benefited from several manufacturing facilities in the village, and we are now living well,” Séraphine Fantodji, Member of the Tannou cooperative.
Thanks to WACA, we now have drinking water in the village and are safe from water-borne diseases."
-Séraphine Fantodji, Member of the Tannou cooperative
Photo: Shawn N. Hounkpatin
Investing in nature-based solutions for flood management in Benin
In Benin, the coastline is only 124km long, but essential for economic activity. It is experiencing severe coastal erosion—the highest coastal erosion levels in the Gulf of Guinea—along with severe flooding, which is causing coastal communities to retreat inland putting their livelihoods at risk.
The Mono River, which forms most of the border between Benin and Togo, is an important resource for biodiversity and local economic activities. However, the basin is facing multiple challenges.
On the southern bank of the Mono River, coastal erosion has been a threat for a long time. Each year during the flood season, the river carves away more of its banks, exposing the surroundings to its flooding. The most critical point lies near the sharp bend in the river, just nine kilometres away from the nearby villages, where a sand bar separates the Mono River from the ocean. In recent years, the sand bar has been eroding at an alarming pace, putting nine villages in the district of Avloh at risk of being cut off from the mainland.
In response, we have financed nature-based erosion control and stabilisation works along the southern bank of the river to build a more resilient future. These include reshaping the riverbank by laying a protective layer of riprap, supported by a geotextile fabric, covering 700 metres of the riverbank. To strengthen the shoreline, around 2.5 hectares of land has also been planted with vegetation selected for its erosion-control potential and survival capacity after flooding.
These solutions aim to protect the natural environment and the communities who depend on it, ensuring that nearby villages remain connected to the mainland and are safeguarded from the worsening effects of the flooding exacerbated by climate change. Around 25,000 people in the nine villages in the Avloh district benefit from the protection measures we have financed. The project’s restoration measures have also protected 320 hectares of natural ecosystems and mangroves.
"The WACA Program in Benin, funded by NDF, GEF and the World Bank, has significantly advanced our efforts to preserve the coast, the Mono River basin and its surrounding ecosystems, and provides a solution to critical challenges of the region, such as coastal erosion and flooding. This endeavour is not only vital for our environment, but also for the well-being and resilience of local communities who depend on the livelihoods and habitability of the region,” says Moussa Bio Djara, Technical Coastline Expert of WACA Benin.
This endeavour is not only vital for our environment, but also for the well-being and resilience of local communities who depend on the livelihoods and habitability of the region."
- Moussa Bio Djara, Technical Coastline Expert of WACA Benin
Spotlight on gender
Advancing gender mainstreaming of WACA
Women and girls in West Africa are particularly vulnerable to negative climate impacts which exacerbate their existing economic, social and political disadvantages. This is why it has been a key priority for us to collaborate with our partners on ensuring WACA has a strong focus on gender.
A key element of our support has thus been strengthening gender mainstreaming and results management for increased impact of the wider programme. To this aim, our support has also contributed to building local capacity through exchange visits and training of environmental and social safeguards specialists.
By working together with NDF on the results indicators, we have further strengthened WACA’s impact management. It is now more focused on measuring gender-responsive approaches and inclusion. By capturing gender data in the programme activities, important lessons can be drawn to feed back into programming, ensuring that those most vulnerable are not left behind.”
- Manon Pascale Cassara, Environmental Specialist, the World Bank.
NDF CO-FINANCING
WACA Benin: EUR 4 million WACA Senegal: EUR 4 million WACA Africa Regional: EUR 5.1 million
PROJECT PERIOD
2018-2026
PARTNERS
World Bank, Global Environment Facility (GEF), Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GDFRR)
MAIN RESULTS (WACA)
- In the region, EUR 500 million of climate finance mobilised.
- In Benin, around 25,000 people (50% women) less exposed to erosion.
- 320 hectares under improved conservation, sustainable management and use of natural resources.
Sources:
World Bank (2022) IPCC (2023) WACA Impact Stories (2024)