To encourage nine West African municipalities to take sustainable development into account in the development of their strategies. This is the objective of the call for projects opened until 2 April 2023 by the International Organisation of the Francophonie (IOF).
Local authorities in West Africa have until 2 April 2023 to express their interest in the “Vivacités” project led by the International Organisation of the Francophonie (IOF). The initiative implemented by the Institut de la Francophonie pour le développement durable (IFDD) aims to “support the operationalisation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” in eight West African cities, notably in Benin, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Senegal and Togo.
In concrete terms, the aim is to finance and provide technical support for green solutions developed by local authorities, particularly in the fields of clean energy, ecotourism and water management. For a total cost of 453,000 euros, “Vivacités” will also raise awareness among local populations of the challenges of the ecological transition, in particular the protection of biodiversity and the empowerment of women in accordance with MDGs 5 and 14.
In addition to West Africa, IOF also supports sustainable innovations in Central Africa, particularly in Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the Paris-based organisation recently selected nine sustainable innovations. The grants, worth a total of €2.7 million, will enable the development of 120 projects in the fields of sustainable agriculture, biotechnology, eco-construction and biodiversity preservation. Among the winners are the Ecosystems and Development platform in Cameroon, the Synergie des amis du Kivu and the Fonds de promotion de l’agripreneuriat congolais in DRC.
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At the same time, the IOF, through the IFDD, is continuing its “Objective 2030” training programme to promote sustainable development at the local level. In 2022, the initiative trained 13,000 African students, particularly from Burkina Faso, Gabon and Ivory Coast, via MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) on the environmental assessment of development policies and projects, environmental law and management, and technology-related professions.
For more information on the call for projects, click here.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
