At the FOMACO 2026 Forum in Nouakchott, Mauritania, collaboration was at the heart of advancing coastal resilience in West Africa. From the perspective of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO-TIO/CWF), it was inspiring to see how strong partnerships are helping to move Nature-based Solutions (NbS) from concept to implementation.

Together with the World Bank’s West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program (WACA), IUCN, and key Dutch partners including EcoShape and NL2120, we co-organized a series of sessions, a plenary session, a deep dive and a two-day pre-forum workshop, and activities during the forum focused on scaling impact.

Bridging knowledge and practice
Through the NbS knowledge hub and shared expertise, we showcased practical, scalable solutions that combine ecological restoration with flood protection and coastal management.

Public-private collaboration
The strong involvement of the Dutch water sector demonstrated how integrated approaches linking engineering, ecology, and finance can support countries in developing hybrid solutions.

Local impact and ownership
A key takeaway: successful NbS depend on local communities. Their role in design, implementation, and long-term stewardship is essential for sustainable impact and the growth of the blue and green economy.

It was great that the Netherlands’ Water Envoy Meike van Ginneken joined the forum; our high-level plenary session and the WACA Roundtable. Her presence further highlighted the Netherlands’ strong commitment, expertise, and willingness to collaborate, clearly reinforcing our shared ambition to work together on sustainable coastal solutions.

From pilots to scale
Discussions reinforced that the foundations are in place. With initiatives like WACA+ and continued international cooperation, the focus is now on creating bankable projects and enabling policies to accelerate implementation.

Invest International projects and other activities were discussed with the Minister of Environment from Cộte d’Ivoire Mr Bamba and with the Senegalese Minister of Environment Mr Diouf.