🌊 #WASOP: One ocean, one future: West Africa leads the blue wave!
Funded by the European Union with a total budget of €59 million #teamEurope #GlobalGateway, WASOP runs for five years. It aims at promoting integrated and sustainable management of marine and coastal resources in West Africa, while supporting inclusive and competitive economic growth. #OceanGovernance #BlueEconomy #MarineConservation
The program was officially launched during the 8th edition of Ocean Week, organized by the Cape Verdean government.
56% of ECOWAS GDP depends on ocean-linked sectors, while nearly 40% of fish stocks are already overexploited or depleted. Coastal erosion in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Togo is advancing at an average of 1.8 meters per year, costing up to $3.8 billion annually. These alarming figures underscore the need for coordinated action to preserve marine ecosystems, sustain livelihoods, and catalyse inclusive economic growth. WASOP addresses urgent regional challenges —from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing to coastal erosion, marine pollution and underfinancing— by strengthening coordination, promoting sustainable investments, and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems.
WASOP is based on three coordinated pillars of action:
1️⃣Ocean governance:
“We need to improve the legal framework to combat illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing,” says Kallahi Brahim, Permanent Secretary of the SRFC. “To combat IUU fishing, we need to strengthen governance, technological surveillance capabilities, and involve local communities,” adds Gaston Djihinto, Secretary General of the FCWC.
2️⃣Sustainable blue economy:
“WASOP aims to support this maritime culture, which is central to West Africa's economic development, and to activate the right levers in the private sector,” says Jérémie Pellet, CEO of Expertise France.
3️⃣Protection of ecosystems: WASOP will contribute to the financing of marine protected areas.
“Calls for projects are not an expense, they are an investment in the future. They are the best tool we have to protect 30% of marine and terrestrial ecosystems by 2030, a figure that currently stands at less than 3% worldwide,” explains Alberto Quieruga, Oceano Azul Foundation.
Funded by the European Union with a total budget of €59 million #teamEurope #GlobalGateway, WASOP runs for five years. It aims at promoting integrated and sustainable management of marine and coastal resources in West Africa, while supporting inclusive and competitive economic growth. #OceanGovernance #BlueEconomy #MarineConservation
The program was officially launched during the 8th edition of Ocean Week, organized by the Cape Verdean government.
56% of ECOWAS GDP depends on ocean-linked sectors, while nearly 40% of fish stocks are already overexploited or depleted. Coastal erosion in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Togo is advancing at an average of 1.8 meters per year, costing up to $3.8 billion annually. These alarming figures underscore the need for coordinated action to preserve marine ecosystems, sustain livelihoods, and catalyse inclusive economic growth. WASOP addresses urgent regional challenges —from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing to coastal erosion, marine pollution and underfinancing— by strengthening coordination, promoting sustainable investments, and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems.
WASOP is based on three coordinated pillars of action:
1️⃣Ocean governance:
“We need to improve the legal framework to combat illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing,” says Kallahi Brahim, Permanent Secretary of the SRFC. “To combat IUU fishing, we need to strengthen governance, technological surveillance capabilities, and involve local communities,” adds Gaston Djihinto, Secretary General of the FCWC.
2️⃣Sustainable blue economy:
“WASOP aims to support this maritime culture, which is central to West Africa's economic development, and to activate the right levers in the private sector,” says Jérémie Pellet, CEO of Expertise France.
3️⃣Protection of ecosystems: WASOP will contribute to the financing of marine protected areas.
“Calls for projects are not an expense, they are an investment in the future. They are the best tool we have to protect 30% of marine and terrestrial ecosystems by 2030, a figure that currently stands at less than 3% worldwide,” explains Alberto Quieruga, Oceano Azul Foundation.
