Miscellaneous Knowledge Notes
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Publication
Strengthening Regional Collaboration and Integration
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-04)West Africa’s coastal area is critical to the region, home to a third of its people and the source of about half of its gross domestic product (GDP). Because most of it is composed of mangroves and sand formations, the area’s coastline is also highly vulnerable to erosion caused by coastal currents and storm surges. Erosion is evident from Mauritania to Gabon - and the rates of erosion are increasing. Around the port of Lome, for example, Togo’s coastline is estimated to have receded by as much as 12 to 15 meters a year. Regional integration will improve the sustainability of shared coastal waters, the protection of environmental services, and the livelihoods that rely on coastal ecosystems. Cooperation will also contribute to the development of regional principles or guidelines for coastal infrastructure investments. -
Publication
Improving Data and Information for Decision Making
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-03)Making evidence-based decisions regarding coastal environments, infrastructure, and natural resources and their interaction with people requires accurate data. Because of the nature of coastal phenomena and their impacts on livelihoods and the environment, integrated systems that collect and share data regionally and focus on coastal areas and marine conditions, land use, climate patterns, and natural hazards are needed. Monitoring coastal areas requires scientific input, public-private partnerships, and an interconnected effort among national and regional actors. A harmonized monitoring system will increase the visibility and efficiency of data and information systems, facilitate decision making, promote best regional coastal management practices, and increase the resilience of coastal environments. -
Publication
Reducing Marine and Coastal Pollution
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-03)The West African coastline is home to major industries, mining activities, peri-urban and agro-industry, and tourism, as well as urban and seaside residences, all of which generate waste and cause pollution. Many areas along the coast also lack adequate wastewater and solid waste management systems. As a result, large volumes of untreated wastewater and solid waste are dumped into the open, polluting the land and water. Water quality studies can help policy makers set targets and baselines and develop pollution reduction plans at the local, national, and regional levels. Such studies generally focus on pollution from sewage/wastewater, nutrients, and marine litter; they may also include other pollutants, such as oil (spills from ships and offshore oil exploration and production), chemicals, and heavy metals. Reducing the generation of plastic debris requires collect¬ing data on the origin, volumes, and types of plastic litter, so that appropriate measures can be taken to reduce the use of, reuse, or recycle plastic products. -
Publication
Protecting the Region’s Natural Resources
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-11)The West African coastal zone hosts critical natural resources and habitats that provide important ecosystem services. The area’s natural resources play vital roles in the functioning of the shoreline, providing natural protection against erosion, pollution, sea level rise, and extreme weather events. Coastal and marine ecosystems, including cold-water coral reefs, sea¬grass meadows, mangrove forests, and coastal wetlands and lagoons, also provide indispensable ecosystem services for the fisheries sector, as spawning and nursery areas for fish. The destruction and degradation of coastal natural resources has trans-boundary impacts. Joint efforts are therefore needed to develop win-win solutions. Regional collaboration and integrated decision making on the part of West African coastal countries is paramount if long-term, viable solutions are to be identified and implemented. -
Publication
The Effects of Climate Change on Coastal Erosion in West Africa
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-11)The effects of climate change, from changing precipitation patterns to rising seas, will exacerbate the coastal erosion already affecting West Africa, increasing the exposure and vulnerability of the people and assets located there. Given the importance of the coastal zone to the region as a whole, it is critical that policy makers consider the effects of future climate change in the decisions they make today. Regional cooperation is challenging, but it has been successful in many places, particularly where the issue addressed presented an existential challenge to the coun¬tries affected. Efforts to build trust and coordinate efforts will help policy makers protect the lives and livelihoods of the people in the region and allow their countries to build on the development gains made in recent years rather than see them rolled back as a result of climate change. -
Publication
Building Climate Resilience
(World Bank, Entebbe, 2015-05-01)Climate change is a critical issue facing the countries of the Nile basin. While individual weather events are difficult to attribute to climate change, their sum is already having adverse effects on socioeconomic conditions across the region. While climate change was not an overt focus of the Nile basin initiative’s (NBI’s) mandate when it was launched in 1999, it has emerged as a key challenge for countries of the Nile to take seriously. Understanding variability in river flows is one of the first steps in understanding climate change impacts and planning how to respond to them. Developing this understanding and getting it into use has been at the heart of the NBI’s technical work. -
Publication
Powering the Nile Basin
(World Bank, Entebbe, 2015-05-01)The Nile countries are endowed with substantial energy resources. Yet, these have not been fully tapped and several Nile countries have low levels of access to electricity. This note showcases the achievements made at the regional level to address this issue through cooperative projects of regional significance. These include projects that extend and link transmission lines to achieve interconnections, and ones that promote responsible development and generation of hydropower. The Nile basin initiative (NBI) has played a catalytic role in facilitating these projects, reducing power poverty, and increasing national energy security. -
Publication
Reducing Flood Devastation in the Nile Basin
(World Bank, Entebbe, 2015-05-01)A regional cooperation effort coordinated by the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) has created a credible system that links multiple stakeholders to work together to address flooding and its impacts. The Flood Preparedness and Early Warning (FPEW) project that ran until 2010 operated in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan. It created a regional flood preparedness and early warning program which is ongoing, reducing the risk of flood devastation for over 2 million people in the region. -
Publication
Cooperation on the Nile: Bringing Down the Glass Wall
(World Bank, Entebbe, 2015-05-01)A unique cooperation program, working across different countries with varying national interests, stakeholders, and projects, has brought down the glass wall. Coordinated by the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), this program has successfully built trust, strengthened capacity, and created an enabling environment for sustainable and equitable development of the Nile Basin water resources. Transboundary cooperation has advanced regional integration through identifying and developing joint investments. This note presents the journey so far by the Nile Basin member states in building regional cooperation, and the crucial role played by the NBI in the achievement. -
Publication
Managing Coastal Risks in West Africa
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-01)Coastal erosion is a naturally occurring process that is accelerated by human impacts. Artificial stabilization of the shoreline, the deterioration of natural formations, the construction of infrastructure, the extraction of materials, and the proliferation of dams deprive fragile coastal areas of important sediment deposits, which leads to erosion. Degradation of the shoreline reduces the natural protection of coastal areas to storm surges, which, together with heavy precipitation, exposes low-lying areas to flooding. Given the trans boundary nature of the region’s ecosystems, the potential downstream effects of infrastructure, and the importance of the coastline for all sectors, optimal solutions to reduce the risk along West Africa’s coasts can be reached only through multi sectoral action and multinational cooperation. Every national and regional development plan in West Africa should take coastal risks and adaption to climate change into consideration.