News

By Chaz Kyser   As a company founded to create prosperity for African women, Ghana-based Global Mamas has striven to ensure that both the women it employs and those it partners with to make and sell its array of handcrafted products are treated equitably and positioned for success. However, there is always more to learn…

“Forest Blessings,” a 24-episode radio drama series produced by the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WA BiCC) Program, has officially launched in the Mano River Union (MRU) countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Côte d’Ivoire. The drama was created to raise awareness about forest conservation issues, including deforestation, forest degradation, and biodiversity loss. These…

By Fatmata Katta   For those charged with helping their countries both adapt to and combat climate change, understanding and being able to leverage climate information is critical. This is particularly true for Sierra Leone, recognized as the third most vulnerable country in the world to the effects of climate change. Thus, WA BiCC and…

By Darius Barrolle   Radio dramas are a part of Sierra Leone’s rich culture; hence, it is no surprise that “Watasay Ston,” a new radio drama series and form of entertainment-education, has quickly emerged as one of the most popular in the country. One reason behind its success is that all stakeholders, including the government,…

By Chaz Kyser   Building on the governments of Sierra Leone and Liberia’s commitment to protect the Gola Transboundary Forest Landscape, officials representing the two West African countries gathered on February 18 at Liberia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia to sign amendments to their current memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding the conservation of this…

By Adejumobi Adegbite   Ministers representing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have adopted the revised Environmental Action Plan (EAP) and associated Monitoring & Evaluation Plan (MEP) of the ECOWAS Directorate of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which were submitted for adoption during a three-day Experts and Ministers Meeting at the Ouagadougou International…

By Fatmata Katta   Sierra Leone marked this year’s World Wetlands Day celebration with the launch of its Climate Change Adaptation Plan (CCAP), a document that WA BiCC played a key role in developing. The CCAP sets the framework for an adaptation plan that is geared towards increasing the resilience of coastal communities across Sierra…

By Fatmata Katta   Delegates representing the four Mano River Union (MRU) countries—Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire—endorsed the sub-regional body’s five-year (2020–2025) Strategic Plan and Action Plan after a two-day deliberation to critically review both documents Feb. 4–5 in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The MRU is a core regional partner of WA BiCC. Its…

By Fatmata Katta   Sierra Leone’s Sherbro River Estuary (SRE) is rich in biodiversity, including turtles, manatees, sharks and crocodiles. Designated as one of the country’s four marine protected areas, the region is also reported to host about 58% of Sierra Leone’s total mangroves, and other coastal habitats in the region include beautiful sandy beaches,…

By Chaz Kyser, WA BICC Communications Manager   The West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change Program (WA BiCC) organized a vibrant exchange on “Knowledge Products and Lessons from CITES Master’s Training and Research in West and Central Africa,” held in Accra Jan. 23–24. Not only did the gathering succeed in bringing WA BiCC-supported CITES MSc…