Liberia Signs US$20.4m MOU For Costal Communities’ Resilience

The Government of Liberia has signed a US$20.4M Climate Change Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with partners to boost the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities against encroaching sea water in Sinoe County.

The partners include the African Development Bank (AfDB), which has started implementing the project; the Global Environmental Facility; and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which funds the project.

The project, which seeks to enhance the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities in Sinoe County, reportedly started in November 2022 and is expected to end in November 2028.

At the signing ceremony held at the Ministry of Finance last weekend, the UNDP Energy and Environment Coordinator, Mr Moses Massah, signed on behalf of UNDP Resident Representative Stephen Rodriguez. The ceremony was themed: “Enhancing the Resilience of Vulnerable Coastal Communities in Sinoe County of Liberia.”

The MOU was signed on behalf of the Liberian government by the Ministers of Mines and Energy and Public Works, Wilmot Paye and Roland Giddings, respectively. They were joined by the Acting Minister of Finance and representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture and Commerce.

The project seeks to support climate innovation through communication and technology and introduce a habit adaption solution that implements a mix of engineering and natural-based solutions.

It also seeks to mitigate coastal erosion, flooding, and climate risk reduction, as well as supporting livelihood diversification with the outcome of increasing adaptive capabilities.

While speaking at the ceremony, acting Finance and Development Planning Minister Mr Anthony Myres noted that Sinoe County is threatened by sea erosion due to the lack of coastal defence, even though the county has a seaport representing economic development, trade and productivity.

He pointed out that Liberia’s coastal zone is adversely affected by several climate change impacts, such as sea level rise, increased coastal flooding and erosion, rising temperatures, and frequent high sea temperatures.

“It’s in response to these challenges and many more that the government of Liberia, with support from the UNDP and the Global Environmental Facility, developed the project Enhancing the Resilience of Vulnerable Coastal Communities in Sinoe County.

“We are happy for this MoU today. We want to inform you that today’s singing is a rebirth, and we will ensure that the project is implemented to the fullest, unlike our predecessor,” he said.

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