From the 19 th to the 22th of March 2019, Abidjan will host the African Days of Ecology and Climate Change. The meeting is organised by the West African Network of Experts on Forests, Water, Energy and Climate Change (dubbed Refacc in French), under the high patronage of the Ivorian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. JFAC has as objective to bring together African and global actors to promote good environmental practices to combat climate change.
The event is defined by its organisers as a platform for participants to share their experiences and insights, with the aim of taking it to the next level in the fight against this threat. Abidjan thus sees itself becoming, thanks to this forum, “an ecological hub that will breathe new life into the whole of West Africa”, as Bruno Toutoukpe, president of Refacc, pointed out. The second edition of Jfac will focus on measures to adapt to urban climate change, but will also explore how to mobilise funding. The themes to be addressed will be: sustainable cities, energy transition, access to renewable energy and climate finance, sustainable wood energy management, transition to agro-ecology, green job creation, health and environment and the integration of ecology into national and regional development plans.
JFAC is innovating for the second edition. African Ecological Awards will be held to recognise the best innovation and action in the field of ecology and the environment.
Making sustainable cities a permanent challenge for West Africa
Côte d’Ivoire wants to make its cities “green cities by 2025”. However, as in several West African countries, Ivorian cities face several challenges: these include waste management, access to energy, sanitation, etc. A situation that challenges leaders, while they must also adapt their countries to the new context imposed by climate change. According to Alé Badara SY, a Senegalese urban planner, the green city model “offers the best options for addressing climate change with sustainable mitigation and adaptation measures”. Some of those ideas might also be discussed in March 2019 during the JFAC.
Luchelle Feukeng