Senegal: Strengthening Urban and Coastal Resilience in Saint-Louis

Context and Objectives

The historical city of Saint-Louis, which is registered as a World Heritage Site, is located on the northwest coast of Senegal and experiences flooding and erosion challenges. The Government of Senegal has embarked on several initiatives to reduce the vulnerability of populations to climatic hazards and to strengthen urban and coastal resilience.

The ACP-EU NDRR project "Strengthening Urban and Coastal Resilience in Saint Louis" supported the Government of Senegal by facilitating evidence-based decision-making for improving the living conditions of the most vulnerable communities and strengthening coastal zone management and urban planning in the city of Saint-Louis. 

This project supported other initiatives in the country, especially the US$30 million project Saint Louis Emergency Recovery and Resilience Project (SERRP) and the US$90.6 million Stormwater Management and Climate Change Adaptation Project (PROGEP), which are both funded by the World Bank. 

Main Activities

Project activities were carried out under the following components: 

• Component 1: Support of environmental and social assessments. The SERRP project planned a relocation process for populations affected by coastal erosion. The studies conducted by the ACP-EU NDRR project ensured that the needs of and impacts on affected populations are appropriately considered and incorporated in the process. 

• Component 2: Review of the technical rigor of studies on analytical coastal zone management. The ACP-EU NDRR project provided technical inputs to two coastal zone management studies under the PROGEP and SERRP projects. These included a hydrodynamic and sediment transport model study of the Saint Louis delta, and the design of a coastal risk management solution to protect the Langue de Barbarie shoreline.

• Component 3: Consultation and communication with stakeholders to facilitate evidence-based decision making. The ACP-EU NDRR project provided technical inputs and coordination across various urban planning and urban policy reform studies planned and ongoing under the PROGET and SERRP projects. As all these studies contributed towards the development of an overall urban resilience plan for the agglomeration of Saint-Louis, the efforts of the ACP-EU NDRR project helped build coherence across these multi-sectoral activities. 

• Component 4: Coordination of activities across projects financed by the World Bank as well as other development partners. The ACP-EU NDRR project supported, among others, stakeholder dialogues and the documentation of best practices.

Results

Component 1: The grant provided technical assistance to the government on community-based planning, and focuses on engaging in a participatory planning process and delivering spatial planning content to  relocate and resettle the target groups affected by coastal erosion. 

Components 2 and 3: Technical inputs were provided by coastal engineers, urban specialists, and experts in nature-based solutions to contribute to the following outputs: a hydrodynamic and sediment transport model study of the Saint Louis Delta, a study for the design of a coastal risk management solution, and the master plan for drainage in Saint Louis. 

Component 4: The grant contributed to stakeholder engagement and communications through a video documentary of stories of change for relocated households. Two video documentaries were produced: one on temporary relocation and another on the participatory planning process. 

Partnerships and Coordination

The project supported active dialogue and coordination among the various development partners active in Senegal (including the French Development Agency and the Institut Technologique des Canaries), to ensure effectiveness and maximize impact. The Bank also worked in close collaboration with the Municipality of Saint Louis, the Technical Support Department, the Regional Development Agency, and the Municipal Development Agency.