West Africa: Sharing experiences on strategic impact assessment for coastal areas

5 August 2024

The NCEA travelled to Accra, Ghana to contribute to a regional capacity building workshop for member states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). Together with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), WAEMU aims to build capacity within the coastal member states, to help develop sustainable project proposals for the West Africa Coastal Areas (WACA) programme. 

The workshop brought together a wide range of participants, such as specialists in Environmental & Social safeguards and communication, representatives of national agencies and institutions, partner organisations, and of the national agencies/institutions in charge of environmental assessments. The main goal of this workshop was to give the participants a better understanding of World Bank standards, and how to implement them. These standards will guide the environmental and social framework of the projects formulated under the WACA programme. 

Participants engaged in discussions on national environmental assessment procedures, the harmonisation of legal frameworks, and best practices for managing environmental and social risks. The NCEA shared its experiences on strategic impact assessment and impact on coastal areas, specifically in the context of transboundary projects.