From PAPFor to NaturAfrica West Africa

The European Union is setting up a new programme to ensure the continuity of EU interventions in PAPFor landscapes.

As the PAPFor and PAPBio regional programmes come to an end, a new programme, NaturAfrica, is being set up in sub-Saharan Africa, with four regional components, including one dedicated to West Africa: NaturAfrica West Africa (NAAO).

Through this initiative, the European Union and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU; or UEMOA in French) are supporting a network of key landscapes for conservation and development in West Africa, with the aim of protecting wildlife and stimulating economic growth by sustaining ecosystems and ensuring impact in the face of increasing external pressure.

As far as West Africa is concerned, and more specifically the forest landscapes that were supported by PAPFor, the transition will be facilitated by two important aspects: on the one hand, from a geographical point of view, all the ‘PAPFor landscapes’ are earmarked for NAAO support, with four of these (Gola, Nimba, Taï - Grebo-Krahn - Sapo and Cross River) already firmly secured for phase 1. Secondly, from a thematic point of view, the interventions under NAAO will be fairly similar to those under PAPFor and organised around three pillars: conservation of protected areas; green economy; and governance.

A NAAO Regional Coordination Unit is already in place to support the European Union Delegations and the implementing agencies; it comprises a Regional Coordinator, a savannah/deserts expert and a communications expert, based in Ouagadougou, as well as a forestry expert who will be based in Monrovia from the end of January 2025.

To find out more about this programme in West Africa, read the factsheet here https://capacity4dev.europa.eu/library/naturafrica-west-africa-regional-programme-factsheet_en