ECOWAS Global Transformation of forests for populations and the climate

ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture Mrs. Massandjé TOURE-LITSE, chaired the Annual meeting of the steering committee of the project “Global transformation of forests for populations and the climate: A focus on West Africa, which was held on May 7 to 8, 2024 in Banjul – The Gambia.

The meeting will be followed by a field visit to the Mansakonko region on May 9, 2024, during which members of the project steering committee will visit the community initiative “Grassroots Adaptation interventions for climate change effects (GRACE)” implemented by the NGO Freedom From Hunger Campaign in the Lower River Region supported by the project. This community-based initiative focuses on the protection and restoration of the mangrove ecosystem.

This project is key to the rollout of the ECOWAS Convergence Plan for the Sustainable Management and Use of Forest Ecosystems in West Africa adopted by ECOWAS’s 15 member states – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

The project’s main objective is to strengthen decision-making on forests and land management across West Africa, specifically addressing the loss of forest cover and biodiversity, as well as transboundary challenges, while supporting local livelihoods.

Participants from the 15 ECOWAS member countries will review and adopt the 2023 Annual Report as well as the 2024 Annual Work Plan. Discussions will focus on the activities planned for 2024 and the validation of the 2024 budget.

This is a five (5) year project, financed by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and implemented with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).