An OSS delegation, led by Mr. Nabil BEN KHATRA, Environment Program Coordinator, Mr. Adel REKIK, Chartered Accountant, Financial Manager, Mr. Nabil Hamada, Biodiversity Expert and Mr. Aziz BEL HAMRA, Technical Assistant, pays Niamey, Ouagadougou and Cotonou, a working visit from January 13 to 22, 2020.
The mission aims to establish the first contacts with the various involved national institutions and structures in the three countries, to carry out the due diligence procedure and to review the commencement conditions of the project. The program includes exchanges with the related resource persons, and in particular the national designated authorities to the Adaptation Fund, as well as courtesy visits to the national authorities, which aim to review the collaboration prospects and the schedule of works to be carried out.
The mission is to begin in Niger, after a courtesy visit to His Excellency Mr. José Didier TONATO, Minister of the Living Environment and Sustainable Development in Niger. It will continue in Burkina Faso, and will end in Benin.
The W - Arly - Pendjari complex (WAP) is one of the most important compositions of trans-boundary terrestrial ecosystems in Africa, shared by Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. It is subject to multiple pressures and threats, to which the ADAPT-WAP project intends to provide answers and remedies, in particular with regard to drought, floods, uncontrolled bush fires, expansion of agricultural land, pressure on natural resources and degradation of ecosystems. It is worth reminding that the ADAPT-WAP project is the first regional project submitted to the Adaptation Fund financing by the Sahara and Sahel Observatory, as a regional implementing entity. It should make it possible to strengthen the resilience of ecosystems and improve the living conditions of local populations who contend with climate change through the establishment of a multi-risk early warning system relating to droughts, floods and fires and the implementation of tangible adaptation measures.
The ADAPT-WAP project is implemented by the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) as a regional implementing entity to the Adaptation Fund. For this purpose, the OSS collects the funds and routes them to the beneficiary countries through the Regional Project Execution Unit. The Regional Project Execution Unit made up of a group of experts hosted by the OSS will run the project management and coordinate its execution in close collaboration with the national project execution units of the three beneficiary countries to carry out the project activities.