Cooperation in forestry in Western Africa
In order to promote cooperation in the forestry sector in Western Africa, the European Commission, DG VIII, has published information on an upcoming restricted invitation to tender for technical assistance. The objective of this assistance is to prepare a coherent strategy, for a total of 13 coastal countries, which will cover national, sub-regional and regional levels. The study should provide for a strong element of capacity building to be developed during its implementation. The key issues to be covered include: - The national priorities for forestry sector development and donor assistance, based on the relevant national policies and planning frameworks; - The compatibility of national and local priorities with the strategic principles for European Commission assistance; - The possibilities for coordination and better coherence with the ongoing and planned assistance from the EU and its Member States, and other bilateral and multilateral donor agencies and financing institutions; - Policy and other constraints and conditions for EC assistance in the selected areas of action. Additionally, the study will define areas of cooperation and concrete options for action where a regional or sub-regional approach is justified. The results of the study should include a forestry sector cooperation strategy with the countries of west Africa, including a strategy for regional and sub-regional cooperation, as well as 16 national cooperation strategies. The training of local personnel in sectoral strategic planning and programme identification, as well as in the principles of EC forestry cooperation should also be covered. For further information, please contact: European Commission DG VIII - Development Unit A.1 200 rue de la Loi (G-12 7/5) B-1049 Brussels Tel. +32-2-2959444; Fax +32-2-2966472