Launch of the Kloto Climate and Energy plan: The cities present their strategy for a sustainable, resilient and modern future
Published: 2 Mar 2023
Adaptation
Mitigation
Success Stories
On 17 and 18 February 2023, the mayors of Kloto officially signed their joint Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plan (SEACAP), with the aim of making their cities "climate resilient, with a low carbon footprint, for a harmonious and sustainable development, and community prosperity". On this occasion, they presented the content of this strategic document to an audience of over 300 participants representing international, national and local technical and financial partners, as well as civil society and the populations of Kloto.
"This SEACAP stems from the awareness of my fellow mayors and myself of the urgency of putting in place strong local actions to adapt to the effects of climate change that we have been experiencing in recent years, while taking into account our ambitions to provide universal access to energy for our populations and for the economic development of our region" (Yawo Winny Dogbatse, Mayor of Kloto 1)
The cities of Kloto are located in a geographical area with particularly favorable climatic conditions, which give their territory major assets, especially flourishing agriculture and important forestry resources. These assets favor the economic development of the region, while ensuring food security and carbon sequestration in the country. The Minister of the Environment and Forest Resources, Foli-Bazi Katari, described the Grand Kloto and Plateaux regions as "the lungs of Togo", while recalling that the climatic upheavals in these areas are a threat to Togo.
The SEACAP process has shown that the increase in climatic risks on the territory, such as the succession of episodes of droughts, intense rains and violent winds, threaten the vital sectors of the economic and social life of the territory, such as agriculture, agroforestry, commerce and tourism. The municipalities have therefore decided to focus on actions to preserve these sectors in their action plan. More than half of the actions and ⅔ of the plan's budget are devoted to projects that promote the adaptation and resilience of the territory.
"This is not the end, but rather the beginning of a new path: that of implementation. This launch allows us to open a dialogue with partners, so that the communes can involve them in the implementation of sustainable development projects and make Kloto a resilient territory" (Stephanie STASSE, Head of the Infrastructure and Environment Section at the European Union Delegation in Togo)
Beyond the symbolic dimension of this ceremony, this event was really intended to begin the transition to the implementation of the action plan. To this end, the cities were not only able to share the content of this document with their partners, but also to present concrete projects in which the municipalities have already committed themselves to take charge of the sustainable development of their territories.
This was an opportunity to present the project to strengthen the ecotourism sector developed with the Province of Ouarzazate (Morocco), to strengthen the sustainable agriculture sector with the experimentation of high-value-added crops such as ylang-ylang and vanilla, in cooperation with the city of Mamoudzou (Mayotte, France), as well as the development of an insurance system against the risk of flooding with Axa Climate. The cities then accompanied the partners on a visit to strategic sites for the territory: the banks of the Kpalimé canal, which are being developed to prevent flooding, the Kpimé dam, which provides 40% of the electricity consumed in the territory, and the classified Missaohé forest, which constitutes an important forest resource and in which are located important tourist sites of national renown.
The objective was achieved for the communes of Kloto, which now have an important strategic tool to respond to the interconnected challenges of the climate emergency, access to energy and economic development, and which have succeeded in strengthening their links with the technical and financial partners present in order to bring them on board in the implementation phase of their SEACAP.
To watch a media interview with the Yawo Winny Dogbatse, Mayor of Kloto 1 and Chairperson of the CoM SSA Regional Mayors Forum, click here.
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