ECOWAS, USAID to strengthen natural resource management in West Africa

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has received support from the West Africa Biodiversity and Low Emissions Development (WABiLED) to develop governance tools in the subregion.

Eight community and research organizations got a total of 10 grants to carry out activities leading to the conservation of forest resources in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone with a total cost of more than Six (6) million US dollars.

Development projects include the Forest Convergence Plan and Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking. The projects were granted in 2021.

The WABiLED Financial Year 2025 Work Plan review workshop, held in Accra, Ghana, achieved objectives which included sharing the final draft of the core elements of the WABiLED FY25 Annual Work Plan and soliciting input from stakeholders including the ECOWAS Directorate of Environment and Natural Resources, USAID West Africa and bilateral Missions and USAID/Washington, and other partners.

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This is critical to inform a final draft AWP for submission to USAID/West Africa

The objective of the meeting also included hearing directly from a core group of WABiLED grantees about their work in transboundary landscapes across the region.

Information on key achievements of each of the WABiLED objectives with examples and lessons learnt over the three years of the implementation of the program since 2021 was presented.

Some of the achievements included the recognition of ECOWAS’ final endorsement of the West Africa Strategy for Combating Wildlife Crime, the establishment of the West Africa Network, and the setting up of the West Africa TWIX.

Other achievements include the production of the restoration opportunity maps for four transboundary landscapes in the Upper Guinea forests, and a few other related activities. The presentation on key achievements was followed with submission on the work plan for the financial year 2025.