The World Bank Group has approved $240 million to launch the first phase of the West Africa Coastal Areas Blue Economy and Resilience Program (WACA+), an initiative designed to protect vulnerable coastlines while promoting private sector–led growth in the blue economy across Benin and Mauritania. The financing package includes $207 million from the International Development Association (IDA), $5 million from the PROBLUE trust fund, and $28 million in private capital. The program aims to safeguard coastal communities from erosion and flooding, strengthen blue-economy value chains, and generate thousands of better-paying jobs.
Coastal areas across West Africa, which are home to more than 360 million people, play a crucial role in economic growth but face increasing pressure on livelihoods, particularly in sectors such as tourism, fisheries, aquaculture, and port services. WACA+ focuses on targeted investments that both protect coastal economies and support long-term employment opportunities. According to World Bank Regional Director for Planet Chakib Jenane, coastal communities in the region are on the frontlines of climate change and face growing threats to ecosystems and economic assets. The program is expected to reduce the exposure of more than 530,000 people to coastal erosion and floods while helping create improved job opportunities.
In Benin, the initiative will stabilize the Bouche du Roy estuary and the Mono River mouth to protect homes, farmland, tourism areas, and key transport routes. In Mauritania, it will strengthen the dune belt that shields Nouakchott, reducing flood risks for densely populated neighborhoods and important economic assets. Across both countries, WACA+ will support ecosystem restoration, including the rehabilitation of up to 3,000 hectares of mangroves and coastal wetlands. These efforts are expected to improve fisheries productivity, reduce storm-surge risks, and expand opportunities in ecotourism and aquaculture. The program will also support private sector development by providing training, coaching, and technical assistance to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives, producer associations, and women- and youth-led businesses. By 2031, more than 31,000 people are expected to benefit from capacity-building activities.
To ensure sustainable coastal management over the long term, the program will support the implementation of national coastal development plans, improve coastal monitoring systems, and strengthen governance of protected areas. It will also introduce mechanisms to mobilize private investment, including matching grants for MSMEs and a Partial Portfolio Credit Guarantee in Mauritania aimed at unlocking up to $20 million in new lending for fish-processing enterprises. The first phase of WACA+ is projected to create around 13,000 better-paid jobs in sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture, ecotourism, hospitality, logistics, and nature-based restoration, with women and young people identified as key beneficiaries.
The initiative also aims to build stronger regional cooperation to address shared coastal challenges across West Africa. Marina Wes, acting World Bank Director for Regional Programs, highlighted that coastal erosion and the development of a thriving blue economy require cross-border collaboration, making WACA+ an important regional platform for harmonizing policies and sharing expertise.
WACA+ builds on earlier phases of the WACA Program that focused on strengthening coastal resilience and protecting vulnerable shorelines and communities across the region. The expanded program seeks to scale up coastal development initiatives and enhance the blue economy’s role in socio-economic growth, particularly through job creation. Future phases are expected to extend support to additional West African countries, ultimately protecting more than 1.3 million hectares of seascapes, improving resilience for over 850,000 people, and supporting more than 50,000 jobs across the region.
