By Woke Joshua
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) have agreed on a common regional agenda to address water security, climate change and sustainable development in West Africa.
The agreement was reached at the maiden West Africa Regional Water Forum (FREAO), held in Port-Bouët, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, with the theme, “Valuing Water to Transform West Africa.”
A statement issued on Sunday said the two-day forum attracted government officials, ministers, regional institutions, river basin organisations, development partners, academics, private-sector operators and civil society groups.
At the end of the deliberations, participants adopted the Abidjan Declaration as a framework for coordinated regional action on water resources and selected Cabo Verde to host the next edition of the forum.
Declaring the forum open, Côte d’Ivoire’s Prime Minister, Robert Beugré Mambé, stressed the need for stronger cooperation among West African countries in the management of shared water resources.
Mambé described sound water governance as a strategic political decision and a key component of regional stability.
Representing the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. General Birame Diop, Commissioner Amin Amidu Sulemani said the forum provided an opportunity for the region to move from discussions to concrete action on water security and climate resilience.
The President of the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) and Senegal’s Minister of Water and Sanitation, H.E. Dr Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, said the meeting would also contribute to Africa’s wider water agenda, particularly ahead of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference.
Key discussions at the forum centred on Integrated Water Resources Management, sustainable financing for the water sector, climate resilience, water diplomacy and cooperation in the management of transboundary water resources.
Participants further highlighted the critical role of water in strengthening food security, driving economic transformation, protecting the environment and deepening regional integration.
The organisers said the Abidjan Declaration and the accompanying regional roadmap would provide a basis for stronger coordination among West African countries and institutions in responding to emerging water challenges and ensuring the sustainable management of the region’s water resources.