Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience |  University of Cape Coast

Prof. Denis W. Aheto Re-Appointed by the World Bank to serve as Member of the Interim Technical Advisory Committee (iTAC) for The West Africa Coastal Areas Management (WACA) Program 

Prof. Denis W. Aheto, the Director of the Centre for Coastal Management (The Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience) of the University of Cape Coast has been re-appointed by the World Bank for another one-year term as member of the interim Technical Advisory Committee for the West Africa Coastal Areas Management (WACA) Program. The WACA Program is the World Bank’s flagship initiative aimed at mobilizing public and private finance to tackle coastal erosion, flooding, pollution and climate change adaptation in the region. The WACA Program consists of country projects, regional integration and support activities, and a WACA Platform as mechanism to scale-up knowledge, dialogue and resources. 

The WACA Program currently consists of country projects working in six countries, i.e. Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, and Togo, with regional integration and support activities being extended to Ghana and Nigeria. The program was developed in partnership with the West African people who live on the coast and depend on it for their livelihoods, nutrition, food security, and prosperity. The program supports countries’ effort to improve the management of their shared coastal resources and reduce the natural and man-made risks affecting coastal communities. 

Among his responsibilities within WACA, Prof. Aheto works as technical lead to support the development of a framework for mapping  a regional network of academic and research institutions in coastal resilience, providing inputs for the development of compendium of best coastal zone management practices, development of rosters of academic experts, contributing to  the development of multisector investment programs for the WACA countries among others particularly providing operational guidance for the development of a potential regional West Africa Hub.