West Africa Gathers In Abidjan To Chart New Path On Water Governance
The 13th Ordinary Session of the Technical Experts Committee of the Permanent Framework for Coordination and Monitoring of Integrated Water Resources Management opened in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, bringing together representatives of all ECOWAS member states, regional institutions and civil society. The session was convened to assess progress in regional water governance and formulate recommendations for the 6th Ordinary Session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee, ahead of the First West Africa Regional Water Forum scheduled for later in the week. The forum, themed Valuing Water To Transform West Africa, is designed to strengthen transboundary water cooperation, accelerate implementation of regional water policies and mobilise sustainable financing across the region. The session was opened by Conservateur Général Elvire Joëlle Zouzou épouse Mailly on behalf of Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Water and Forests, Jacques Assahoré Konan, marking the formal start of the preparatory engagements in Abidjan. Speaking for ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS, Director of the ECOWAS Water Resources Management Centre, Kouassi Kouakou Alexis, underscored the strategic importance of integrated water resources management for regional integration and resilience. The meeting is being chaired by Senegal through Dr Bacary Fatty, while President of the Sub Regional Consultative Council on Water Resources, Dr Boluwaji Onobolu, called for stronger participation of civil society, women and youth in the process. The recommendations adopted by the experts will be submitted to the Ministerial Monitoring Committee and subsequently discussed during the regional forum, the first of its kind for West Africa. The forum is expected to bring together ministers, technical experts and development partners to define the next phase of West Africa’s water governance agenda in the coming years. Officials say the outcome of the Abidjan talks will be central to shaping how the region tackles shared water resource challenges going forward. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed
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