The West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program is a World Bank-funded initiative that seeks to support West African countries’ efforts to improve the management of their shared coastal resources and reduce the risks affecting coastal communities. The WACA Program was created in response to countries’ requests for solutions and finance to help protect and restore the ecological, social, and economic assets of West Africa’s coastal areas by addressing erosion and flooding.

Through WACA, the West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project (WACA ResIP) was developed. WACA ResIP was rolled out in two phases – the first phase or WACA ResIP 1 was launched in 2018 covering six countries (Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Senegal, Sao Tomé and Principe, Togo) and WACA ResIP 2 in 2023 covering three countries (The Gambia, Ghana, and Guinea-Bissau).

In The Gambia, the project is focused on the restoration and reprofiling of the Kotu Stream to prevent flooding and pollution, ultimately protecting lives and properties.

The project supports sustainable development along the Stream through urban farming initiatives and commercially viable, small-scale businesses. It will also improve national legislative and policy frameworks around disaster risk management, integrated coastal development, natural resource management, and urban resilience.

WACA will also contribute to effective public service delivery by strengthening the institutional capacities of relevant technical government institutions and developing robust national legislation and policies and building the resilience of communities.