18 April 2013: The Government of Sweden announced it will provide US$6.7 million over four years to help reduce West Africa’s vulnerability to climate change and increase the region’s capacity to pursue its climate change adaptation programmes.

The grant comes under an agreement signed on 9 April 2013 by the President of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and the Swedish Permanent Representative to ECOWAS.

ECOWAS is the first among Africa’s five Regional Economic Communities to develop a strategic programme to address climate vulnerability, and the grant is expected to help the region to undertake its adaptation programmes, particularly in the areas of agriculture and building constructionm with the aim of improvingresistance to flooding and coastal erosion.

The grant is also expected to help ECOWAS support its 15 member States in developing and implementing actions most relevant to their national circumstances. [ECOWAS Press Release]