Coastal Erosion: Major project begins at the southern border between Togo and Benin

Economy
Monday, 07 November 2022 15:58
Coastal Erosion: Major project begins at the southern border between Togo and Benin

(Togo First) - The major project aimed at protecting the Togo-Benin coast was launched on November 3, 2022, in Aného. The launching ceremony was chaired by Togo’s Prime Minister, Victoire Tomégah-Dogbé. The ministers of environment of Togo and Benin, as well as the World Bank’s head of operations in Togo, Fily Sissoko, were also there.

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"The investment works that we are starting will allow the populations to restart enjoying resources that the sea offered them and which were their main source of income,” Fily Sissoko said.

Boskalis BV, a Dutch firm, carries out the works. They will, according to the mayor of the Lacs 1 municipality, protect the people of the area concerned –from Agbodrafo (Togo) to Grand Popo (Benin) – against coastal erosion.

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"All the work will cost our two countries 63.48 million euros, all tax included, that is CFA41.6 billion, including 12.49 (billion) for Togo and 29.14 (billion) for Benin," said Foli-Bazi Katari, Togolese Minister for the Environment.

Big works

The works in question, according to Christian Esser from the INROS-LACKNER control bureau, include: raising seven (7) rock groins and re-filling with sand some groin-delimited areas in the Agbodrafo area. 

In Aneho, the works involve rehabilitating the six groins that were built in 2021, as part of a WAEMU-funded project. Also, 10 more groins will be added to the six that will be rehabilitated. Here also, the area delimited by the groins will be refilled with sand. Besides this, 200 m of breakwater will be rehabilitated and expanded, and a 700-m dike will be built to prevent sea flooding.

In Hilacondji (Benin),  eight (8) groins will be built; basins that were destroyed by groins will be re-filled; the same goes for the lagoon arms behind the coastal dune; and recreational and tourist infrastructures will be built as well.

Not far from there, in Agoué (still in Benin), the works involve massive sand recharging from the new spur towards the east, over a width of about 200 m and a length of about 4 km, for 6.4 million cubic meters.

The whole project should take 19 months and directly benefit around 200,000 people.

The WACA ResIP, the program under which the initiative falls, is financed by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). It is deployed in six West African countries: Togo, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, and Senegal.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

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