WACA: Coastal states meet in Cotonou to strengthen resilience against climate threats
In the wake of a year marked by accelerating coastal erosion in West Africa, representatives of the coastal countries met this Thursday, December 4, 2025, in Cotonou to think together about the most effective responses. Ministers, experts, donors and technical actors discussed strategies to adopt to strengthen communities’ resilience and protect threatened coastal areas.
The 2nd meeting of 2025 of the Regional Steering Committee of the Investment Program for the Resilience of Coastal Areas in West Africa (WACA ResIP) provided a platform for strong voices convinced that only collective action will contain the impacts of climate change.
The meeting allowed participants to review the achievements of the program’s first phase, but also to identify persistent challenges. In his opening remarks, Benin’s Minister of Living Environment and Sustainable Development, José Didier Tonato, warned against the risk of downplaying the human causes of climate disruption. He reminded attendees that “we often forget, we point at climate change, but we forget that behind climate change are the actions we take every day.”
In his speech, the Beninese minister also called for a deep change in behavior across West Africa. Wanting to anchor states’ actions in a sustainable dynamic, he stressed the need to root a new environmental culture. “At some point, we need to get used to saying that we have overcome this fatalism and that our habits have integrated the culture of living with nature in harmony,” he said. He urged governments to go beyond one-off interventions.
Cooperation essential for shared challenges
Continuing his remarks, José Didier Tonato praised the ongoing collaboration among the WACA ResIP member countries. He highlighted the exemplary scope of certain works carried out in Benin, notably in Grand-Popo. “The implementation of the WACA ResIP program has helped stabilize important stretches of the coastal cordon, notably the reinforcement of the western segment of Grand-Popo,” he said. For him, this success illustrates the relevance of the regional approach.
In the same spirit, Togo’s Minister of Environment, Dodzi Komla Kokoroko, expressed the shared vision between the two neighboring countries. He stressed the importance of the common framework driven by regional organizations. “Our continent has a future only through inter-state cooperation, solidarity and structuring, innovative practices,” he explained. He argued that West Africa must strengthen its public policies to consolidate its competitiveness in the face of global climate challenges.
In a statement that drew particular attention, the Togolese minister insisted on united action between Togo and Benin. “Togo and Benin are moving forward together. Our successes are shared just as much as our failures,” he said.
