USAID West Africa Mission Director, Daniel Moore, has underscored the importance of the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change Program (WA BiCC) and the efforts of its regional partners towards safeguarding a sustainable future. Director Moore made the statement at the annual WA BiCC coordination meeting, which marks his first official assignment as West Africa Mission Director. “I see movement in West Africa to address what is not only international criminal activity but a threat to the resources needed for a sustainable future for all,” he stressed.
Director Moore and three others, representing WA BiCC’s three core West Africa regional partners, opened the program’s Fourth Annual Work Plan Validation Workshop, in Accra on Wednesday, August 29. The core partners include the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), the Mano River Union (MRU) and the Abidjan Convention. “Your efforts to advance the environment on the agenda of your member states, are so important to the success of conservation and restoration of West Africa’s fragile ecosystems,” said Moore.
The Director of the ECOWAS Environment Directorate – Dr. Johnson Boanuh, speaking on behalf of the ECOWAS Environment Commission, explained that regional corporation towards fighting illegalities against natural resources was key. “For the ECOWAS region, we are proud and happy to say the WA BiCC program has contributed to the coordination we see between the three partners and the effective discharge of our mandate,” said Director Johnson. He explained further that WA BiCC supported the development of the West African Regional Strategy for Combating Wildlife Crime, which defines a coordinated approach to addressing wildlife crime, and related recommendations. These strategic areas and recommendations are aligned with seven strategic priorities of the African Union (AU) Strategy, making West Africa, one of the first in Africa to implement the AU Strategy.
The Executive Secretary of the Abidjan Convention, Abou Bamba, mentioned that the Convention is now revitalized, owing to the institutional strengthening support provided by WA BiCC. “The Convention is now the lead in the ocean governance debate and attracting funding for a lot of projects,” he indicated. He explained further that the Abidjan Convention in the framework of WA BiCC had achieved a great deal, facilitating a partnership with IBM – a US-based multinational technology company–for the establishment of an Environment Resource Center for West Africa. At the Center, relevant stakeholders can access coastal zone management and climate change-related information.
For his part, the Deputy Secretary-General for Economic Development and Regional Integration, at the MRU, Dr. Abu Bakkar Tarawalie, explained that the MRU mandate included peace and security, which aligns with WA BiCC’s mandate of combating wildlife trafficking across the MRU region. He added that the activities of WA BiCC in the MRU region contributed significantly to this mandate. “MRU and WA BiCC will continue to achieve a lot through this collaboration,” he said.
WA BiCC’s Chief of Party Stephen Kelleher indicated that entering the fourth year of program, implementation presented more opportunities for integration with the regional partners. Kelleher said that these opportunities will help build in sustainability that guaranteed continued implementation of both regional-level and on-the-ground actions, even after the life of the project.
