The World Bank has approved a $240 million financing package to protect vulnerable coastlines in Benin and Mauritania and drive job creation through the blue economy, marking the launch of a new phase of regional climate resilience programming in West Africa.
The package, comprising $207 million from the International Development Association (IDA), $5 million from the PROBLUE trust fund, and $28 million in private capital, will fund the first phase of the West Africa Coastal Areas Blue Economy and Resilience Program (WACA+).
The program will help both countries protect their coastlines from erosion and flooding while developing blue economy value chains. In both countries, it will finance coastal protection infrastructure and ecosystem restoration, including the restoration of up to 3,000 hectares of mangroves and wetlands, measures expected to boost fishing productivity, support ecotourism, and reduce exposure to climate-related shocks.
Country-level interventions address some of the most exposed zones in the region. In Benin, works will focus on the Bouche du Roy estuary and the mouth of the Mono River, a protected area established in 2016 and recognised by UNESCO in 2017 that covers 9,678 hectares and is home to more than 25,000 people. In Mauritania, the program will reinforce the dune barrier protecting the capital Nouakchott to reduce flood risks in densely populated areas.
The economic case for action is pressing. A 2025 World Bank report warned that without climate adaptation measures, Mauritania’s gross domestic product (GDP) could decline significantly by 2050, driven by flooding, sea-level rise and drought.
Beyond physical protection, WACA+ is designed to expand economic opportunity. The program will invest in entrepreneurial capacity through training, coaching and technical assistance for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), cooperatives, producer associations, and women and youth-led businesses. In Mauritania, a partial credit guarantee is expected to unlock up to $20 million in new lending for fish processing enterprises.
More than 530,000 people are expected to be protected from coastal risks, while over 31,000 will benefit from capacity-building programmes by 2031. The first phase alone is projected to generate around 13,000 jobs across sectors including fishing, aquaculture, ecotourism, hospitality, logistics and ecosystem restoration.
“West Africa’s coastal communities are on the frontlines of climate change, facing the loss of the ecosystems and economic assets they rely on. WACA+ brings the integrated response these challenges demand,” said Chakib Jenane, the World Bank’s regional director for the Planet practice group.
WACA+ also aims to strengthen the foundation for a unified regional response to shared coastal challenges, with the long-term goal of protecting more than 1.3 million hectares of marine areas and supporting over 50,000 jobs across West Africa. Future phases are expected to expand to additional countries across the region.
