ECOWAS and GIZ organize a series of workshops on promoting risk-informed urban development across west Africa

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)in collaboration with the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), through the Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs organised the first workshop in the series of workshops on Risk-Informed Urban Development in, Lomé, Togo from 18 to 20 March 2025.

The workshop was attended by representatives from thirteen (13) cities in West Africa including Mayors of various municipalities and local Experts. The objectives of the workshop were:

• To enhance the capacity of local actors to understand, reduce and manage urban disaster risks through the principles of risk-informed urban development.
• To build a knowledge exchange platform for cities within the ECOWAS region aimed at fostering innovative solutions, peer learning and collaboration on urban resilience projects.
• To strengthen partnerships with International Organizations, such as UNDP, UNDRR, AUC and ECOWAS and other global initiatives as well as civil society actors to bolster urban disaster risk management capabilities following a whole-of-society approach. Setting the foundation for participatory and inclusive risk analysis and planning processes.
• Develop concrete action plans for inclusive disaster risk management in the selected cities.
• Prepare a financial checklist for the prioritised resilience projects.
• Facilitate peer-to-peer learning through bankable project ideas that integrate a risk-informed approach and combine adaptation with mitigation measures.

The Chargée d’Affaires, of the German Embassy in Togo, Ms. Camilla Gendol welcomed all participants and recognized the cooperation between Germany and Togo and also Germany and ECOWAS especially in the area of implementing disaster risk reduction programmes in urban environments within the region.

She emphasized the need for technical and policy measures to support local governments in the region to combat climate-related hazards in urban areas and to strengthen the           resilience of the region’s urban communities.

In his speech, the Minister for the Town Planning, Housing and Land Reform (MUHRF) of Togo, represented by the Director of Cabinet, emphasized the importance of this first workshop for building urban resilience in the region. The Minister acknowledged the invaluable role played by the ECOWAS Commission and its partners in promoting disaster risks reduction.

The workshop was a unique opportunity to learn about urban climate and disaster risk mapping, impacts on socio-community infrastructure and facilities, and to present opportunities for mobilizing resources for urban resilience. The next step is to organize a second workshop in Accra (Ghana) in July 2025.