Cooperation Between ECOWAS and USAID to Strengthen Natural Resource Management in West Africa

To strengthen the management of natural resources in ECOWAS, the WABiLED Program has supported The ECOWAS Commission to develop governance tools namely Forest Convergence Plan, Strategy to Combat Wildlife trafficking and has granted in 2021, Eight community and research organizations got a total of 10 grants to carry out activities leading to the conservation of the forest resources in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone with a total cost of more than Six (6) million US dollars.

The West Africa Biodiversity and Low Emissions Development (WABiLED) Financial Year 2025 Work Plan review workshop was held in Accra between the 18th and 19th of September 2025. The objective of the workshop included a) sharing the final draft of the core elements of the WABiLED FY25 Annual Work Plan and solicit input from stakeholders, including ECOWAS Directorate of Environment and Natural Resources, USAID West Africa and bilateral Missions and USAID/Washington, and other partners to inform a final draft AWP for submission to USAID/West Africa, and b) hear directly from a core group of WABiLED grantees about their work in transboundary landscapes across the region.

The workshop started with each of the WABiLED objectives giving information of their key achievements with examples and lessons learnt over the three years of the implementation of the program. Some of the achievements included the recognition of ECOWAS final endorsement of the West Africa Strategy for Combating Wildlife Crime, the establishment of the West Africa Network, the setting up of the West Africa TWIX, the production of the restoration opportunity maps for four transboundary landscapes in the Upper Guinea forests, and a few other related activities. The presentation on key achievements was followed with presentation on the work plan for the financial year 2025.

The second day of the workshop was devoted to information sharing on the activities of grantees supported under the WABiLED program.