Diverse Spatial Planning Support Programs for Coastal Districts

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3.0 Challenges, Constraints and Measures Adopted

3.1 Diverse Spatial Planning Support Programs for Coastal Districts

As the support program for the Shama District spatial planning process began in 2010, several other similar support programs emerged. First, the Town Country Planning Department announced it would be rolling out their national program in the coastal districts of the Western Region. Then, the USAID funded LOGODEP program identified spatial planning as a priority for Districts in the same region. In relation to the evolving oil and gas sector, both NORAD through MEST and then Tullow Oil also announced that they too would be supporting spatial planning processes for the coastal Districts. Finally, the Korean Government embarked upon a support program for the Ahanta West District and actually completed a draft spatial planning process focusing on industrial and residential development for a futuristic vision of an expanded oil industry. All of these programs have their own interests and most have limited time-frames that will not allow for adequate participation, consultation, negotiated future visions, and most importantly, ownership by the District Assemblies. The concurrence of emerging spatial planning support programs has created confusion. To this end, CRC assisted LOGODEP to plan a workshop that brought together the various support programs and selected District representatives in an effort to identify participatory methods for spatial planning that would be led by the Districts themselves. The Shama case- study provided an example of how the various organizations and institutions could work together in a complementary manner to support spatial planning that is nested within the framework of the national Town Country Planning Department. The only “wildcard” is that of the Tullow OilJubilee Partners program which has been put out to tender for consultants to complete spatial planning for the six coastal districts in a six month period. Though various communications have been directed at Tullow Oil representatives in order to promote collaboration, there have been no concrete discussions on how to render the support programs coherent and complementary. The fear is that Tullow Oil will push ahead with support programs that do not consider what spatial planning work has been done to date by either the H İn Mpoano Initiative nor the Koreans. H İn Mpoano Initiative has developed close working relationships with both the Town Country Planning Department and the Districts. In the case of the Shama District, CRC will focus down on coastal issues along the shoreline and flood prone areas as well as the watershed of the Inchaban Reservoir water supply. For the Ahanta West District, CRC will provide refinement of the existing Korean plan relative to the green-belt surrounding the Cape Three Points Forest Area and the coastal and marine areas to include the wetlands and future marine protected area. As concerns the other Districts, CRC support will be focused on the Ellembelle and Jomoro Districts that are home the Greater Amansuri Wetlands. For these Districts, as well as that of Nzema-East and STMA, the H İn Mpoano Initiative will be providing the following technical support services for spatial planning: • Assessments of the food and livelihoods security of people in these districts in light of accelerated transformation of agricultural lands that formerly produced food for local consumption 52 • Climate change vulnerability assessments with a focus on flooding and shoreline erosion consequences of sea-level rise and extreme weather events • Assessment of ecological functions and services that need to maintained in the landscape, notably the hydrological aspect and wetlands areas and • Planning for priority biodiversity conservations areas. In each of the Districts, the H İn Mpoano Initiative will work with the Assembly sub- committees on spatial planning to ensure their participation and lead in the focused planning for the coastal zones that is integrated into the overall District plans that will most likely be completed by other programs, either Tullow Oil, the Korean Development Agency or the Town Country Planning Department.

3.2 Study Tours to the Ivory Coast