Spotlight on Sinoe coastal resilience plans

The Government of Liberia – through the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) with support from UNDP – formally launched the implementation of  the Sinoe coastal resilience project during an inception workshop last week.

The project funded by the Global Environment Facilty (GEF) will protect coastal communities in Sinoe and their livelihood assets from climate change by implementing sea and river defense and risk management approaches while enhancing income streams through livelihood diversification.

The project, Enhancing the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities in Sinoe County of Liberia, will be mainly implemented in Greenville.

UNDP Deputy Resident Representative for Operations, Thabani Mabodoko, called for the need to collectively work to change the current short-term approach to addressing the impacts of climate change to long-term integrated and participatory planning that involves the public sector, private sector, and communities at all levels of governance.

“This project has adopted an integrated approach that involves micro-finance, value-chain addition, sustainable agriculture as well as coastal protection measures. UNDP applauds the Government for its continuous commitment in providing co-financing for the mobilization of these funds, which are very critical in driving the country towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Government Pro-poor Agenda,” said Mabodoko.

The  project is worth over $10 million and will construct an 800-meter-long revetment to protect Mississippi Street in Greenville, Sinoe County, and a 700-meter-long revetment to protect the shoreline by reducing coastal erosion around the inlet where the Sinoe/Sehnkwehn river empties into the Atlantic Ocean.