ECOWAS Economic Affairs and Agriculture Commissioner Dehpue Yenpea Zuo met Togo’s environment, forest, coastal protection and climate change minister in Togo on October 9, 2026, discussing environmental protection, natural resource management and sustainable development.
The meeting took place within what the ECOWAS Commission describes as the broader framework of regional integration and economic resilience.
According to the Commission’s account of the engagement, the discussion covered environmental challenges it identifies as pressing across West Africa, including climate change, coastal erosion, deforestation, land degradation and pressure on natural resources.
The Commission states that these pressures threaten livelihoods, agricultural productivity, critical infrastructure and wider economic activity in member states.
It links environmental sustainability to agricultural output, economic stability and food security, and says climate-induced pressures heighten rural vulnerability, disrupt development gains and strain public resources.
Togo’s coastal and forest measures cited
The dialogue noted Togo’s coastal protection work along the Gbodjomé–Agbodrafo–Goumoukopé–Kpémé coastline, where 26 groynes have been deployed to stabilise the shore and limit erosion.
It also pointed to national forest conservation targets: planting one billion trees by 2030, raising forest cover to 26 percent, and establishing mobile environmental and forestry surveillance brigades.
The Commission presents these national initiatives as openings for regional collaboration, joint environmental programming and stronger mobilisation of international climate finance and development assistance across the bloc.
The meeting formed part of Zuo’s official activities following his assumption of office on September 1, 2026, under the ECOWAS Commission’s 2026–2030 mandate. His portfolio covers economic cooperation, agricultural development and environmental sustainability.
The Commission said the consultation reinforces its commitment to sustained dialogue with national authorities on environmental protection, resource management and sustainable economic growth.
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