Overview
The West Africa Sustainable Ocean Programme (WASOP) aims to promote integrated and sustainable management of marine and coastal resources in West Africa, while fostering inclusive and competitive economic growth.
The programme is implemented in partnership with ECOWAS and the 13 coastal countries of West Africa: Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
WASOP is structured around three pillars:
- Strengthening ocean governance
- Supporting a sustainable blue economy
- Restoring marine and coastal ecosystems
Key information
- Location: 13 coastal countries of West Africa – Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo
- Duration: 2025-2030
- Theme: Climate, environment and energy
- Total budget: € 59 millions
- EU contribution: 95,15%
- Implementing partners:
The programme’s governance is based on a political partnership with ECOWAS, which co-chairs the regional steering committees and ensures alignment with regional policies and priorities. The West African Development Bank (BOAD), the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBIDC) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) are also key institutional partners.
Approach and objectives
In a region where coastal areas account for more than one third of the population, where ocean-related activities represent over 55 % of regional GDP, and where 40 % of fish stocks are overexploited or depleted, the stakes are high.
The programme addresses major challenges such as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, biodiversity loss, climate change and weak legal and institutional frameworks.
Structured around three complementary pillars and following an integrated “Seascape” approach, WASOP aims to:
- Strengthen ocean governance, in particular for sustainable fisheries;
- Promote a sustainable and inclusive blue economy;
- Strengthen the preservation and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems, in connection with local populations.
WASOP is part of the Global Gateway objective to support public-private partnerships in favour of sustainable natural resource management and nature-based solutions.
At the heart of the Global Gateway 360 approach – based on connectivity, sustainability and infrastructure development – WASOP mobilises all sectors related to oceans, seas and coasts, including both offshore and onshore activities, to ensure a coherent and comprehensive response.
Aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the EU’s Ocean Pact and the Seascape approach, the programme promotes a sustainable blue economy as “Africa’s future”, focused on local economic development and ocean governance while preserving marine and coastal ecosystems.
Actions
Pillar 1: Ocean governance
Implemented by the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission, the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the European Fisheries Control Agency, this pillar aims to:
- Ensure a substantial reduction in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to support sustainable economic growth, preserve biodiversity and improve the well-being of coastal communities for future generations.
- Promote scientific advice for better management of shared stocks of small pelagic fish.
- Facilitate the strengthening and implementation of regional fisheries governance, policies and multi-stakeholder cooperation.
- Support knowledge and empowerment of small-scale fisheries.
Pillar 2: Sustainable blue economy
This pillar, implemented by Expertise France, aims to:
- Establish a technical assistance facility (the Blue Facility) available to public and private, national and regional institutions to:
- Strengthen regional and national blue economy policies, regulatory frameworks and institutional capacities.
- Facilitate private sector participation in sustainable ocean industries and access to sustainable financing mechanisms to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
- Create and coordinate thematic networks of practitioners to:
- Mobilise stakeholders and promote partnerships through thematic coalitions (e.g. finance, entrepreneurship in the blue economy).
- Raise awareness of the potential of the sustainable blue economy.
- Capitalise on and share good practices (webinars, web portal, training, etc.).
- Fund pilot projects in the field of sustainable blue economy through a €10 million call for proposals, supporting local initiatives with strong potential for replication or scaling up and encouraging multi-stakeholder, multi-sector and multi-scale partnerships.
Pillar 3: Marine and coastal ecosystem protection and restoration
Implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), in cooperation with the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), this pillar aims to:
- Develop innovative scientific, management and financing tools for the effective management of marine protected areas (MPAs).
- Support the creation of a representative, coherent and operational regional network of MPAs to help West African countries achieve the 30×30 global biodiversity targets.
- Promote cross-border marine conservation and the creation or extension of MPAs, including deep-water areas of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and international waters, in line with the Treaty on Biodiversity (BBNJ).
- Support the involvement of local actors and communities in conserving biodiversity and strengthening community resilience through a small grants programme (total budget: €10 million).
