West African governments and regional institutions have adopted a shared water roadmap aimed at strengthening water governance, climate resilience and cooperation over transboundary resources, as growing pressure from droughts, floods, agriculture, energy demand and inadequate infrastructure makes water security an increasingly important economic issue across the region. The Abidjan Declaration was adopted at the first West Africa Regional Water Forum in Côte d’Ivoire on September 25, bringing together the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) and other regional stakeholders.
Held under the theme “Valuing Water to Transform West Africa”, the two-day forum sought to move water management higher on the regional development agenda. The discussions focused on integrated water resources management, sustainable financing, climate resilience, water diplomacy, and cooperation over shared river basins. According to ECOWAS, the forum forms part of a longer-running regional process intended to strengthen integrated management of water resources and translate it into measurable progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation.
The scale of the challenge is closely linked to West Africa’s geography. The region contains 28 shared river basins covering about 71% of its territory, while all West African countries apart from Cabo Verde share at least one river with a neighbouring state. Major systems including the Niger, Senegal, Gambia and Volta basins cross national borders, meaning that decisions on dams, irrigation, water extraction, pollution and environmental management in one country can affect communities and economic activity elsewhere.
That interdependence makes water governance an economic and institutional issue rather than simply an environmental one. Agriculture depends heavily on predictable water supplies, while hydropower and other energy systems can also be affected by water availability. Urban centres require reliable water and sanitation infrastructure, and industries depend on water for processing and production. Poor management can therefore translate into higher costs, disrupted production, and additional pressure on already constrained public infrastructure.
Climate change is making those pressures more difficult to manage. Across the region, changes in rainfall patterns, droughts, floods, and land degradation are affecting the reliability of water resources. The challenge is uneven: parts of the Sahel face prolonged dry periods and pressure on livestock and agricultural livelihoods, while other areas experience intense rainfall and flooding that can damage infrastructure, contaminate water sources and displace communities. The result is a combination of water scarcity and water-related disasters that require different forms of investment and planning.
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For governments, this creates a need for infrastructure that can manage both extremes. Water storage, irrigation systems, drainage networks, flood protection, wastewater treatment, groundwater management, and reliable monitoring systems require long-term capital. Yet many governments across the region face competing demands on public budgets, while the financial returns from water infrastructure are not always sufficient to attract private capital without public or development-finance support.
The financing question was therefore central to the forum. ECOWAS had identified financing water infrastructure, including public-private partnerships and climate finance, as one of the main priorities of the regional water agenda. The forum also highlighted the importance of mobilising domestic resources and working with development institutions and private investors to close investment gaps.
The challenge is not simply the volume of finance available. The quality of institutions and projects capable of absorbing capital is equally important. Water investments often cross administrative boundaries and can involve multiple government agencies, utilities, basin organisations and communities. Weak coordination can delay projects, complicate procurement, and undermine maintenance after construction.
Reliable data is another constraint. The Abidjan discussions included calls for stronger systems to collect and share information on rainfall, river flows, groundwater, drought, and water demand. Without consistent data, governments can struggle to anticipate shortages, coordinate withdrawals from shared resources, or prepare adequately for floods. Better information can also improve the basis for infrastructure planning and investment decisions.
The regional approach has implications for countries dependent on transboundary water systems. Nigeria, for example, lies downstream of the Niger-Benue river system, while the Niger River itself originates outside the country. Changes in upstream water use, dam operations, irrigation and environmental conditions can therefore have consequences for downstream agriculture, communities, and ecosystems. Similar interdependencies exist across the Senegal, Gambia and Volta basins.
This makes water diplomacy part of economic risk management. Effective cooperation between countries can help establish mechanisms for sharing information, coordinating infrastructure decisions, and managing competing demands before they become disputes. The regional water agenda therefore links environmental management with broader questions about regional stability and economic integration.
The institutional architecture behind the new roadmap is also significant. ECOWAS, UEMOA, and CILSS have been working through regional structures for integrated water resources management, while basin organisations provide more specialised mechanisms for managing individual river systems. The first West Africa Regional Water Forum is intended to become a recurring platform for bringing these institutions, governments, civil society, technical experts and private sector actors together. Cabo Verde has been selected to host the next edition.
For businesses, water security increasingly affects operational risk. Agriculture and food processing are directly exposed to water availability, while manufacturing, mining, energy and urban services depend on reliable water systems. Companies operating across borders can also face different regulatory regimes and levels of water availability, making regional coordination relevant to investment planning and supply-chain resilience.
The same applies to financial institutions. As climate-related physical risks become more visible, lenders and investors increasingly must consider how drought, flooding and water shortages could affect infrastructure assets, agricultural borrowers and industrial operations. Stronger regional water data and governance could improve the information available for assessing those risks, although the extent of that benefit will depend on implementation.
The Abidjan Declaration consequently marks a policy milestone, but its economic significance will depend on what follows. ECOWAS has acknowledged the need to move from regional frameworks towards operational financing mechanisms, stronger institutions, and measurable progress. The challenge is particularly acute in water because infrastructure requires sustained investment beyond political and budget cycles, while shared resources require cooperation that extends beyond national boundaries.
The timing gives the agenda a wider continental dimension. The regional forum is part of preparations for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in Abu Dhabi and comes as the African Union has designated 2026 as the Year of Water. ECOWAS has said the Abidjan process will help consolidate West African positions ahead of the global conference.
For West Africa, the underlying issue is ultimately broader than access to drinking water. Water availability and governance affect agricultural output, energy production, urban development, industrial activity, public infrastructure, and climate resilience. The region’s shared basins mean that these pressures cannot be addressed entirely through national policies. The next test for the institutions behind the Abidjan Declaration will be whether the new regional framework can translate political coordination into financed infrastructure, better data, stronger basin institutions and practical systems capable of managing a resource that underpins much of West Africa’s economy.
