Sub-Saharan African multilateral programmes for coastal management: how well have they performed?

Regional multilateral arrangements potentially have a strong role to play in supporting coastal management, particularly in developing countries. This article examines how well such multilateral arrangements have performed in sub-Saharan Africa. It, firstly, develops a conceptual framework which identifies key elements of regional multilateral arrangements and the functions they could potentially fulfil. Secondly, the article describes and evaluates the performance of five multilateral arrangements currently operating in sub-Saharan Africa. It finds that these arrangements have resulted in the development of a constituency of skilled and committed people and the building up of considerable practical experience in coastal management. In addition, the region appears to have a somewhat out-dated but adequate legal framework for joint action on coastal management. A key issue to be addressed is the establishment of a financially viable and effective regional institutional base, as well as an effective programme, to support the implementation of the Nairobi and Abidjan Conventions and Protocols. In addition, substantial external resources need to be mobilised to support regional coastal management efforts in the short-to-medium term. Long-term sustainability will require building further capacity in coastal management as well as developing a much closer involvement of the private sector than has occurred to date.