Abidjan to Host Inaugural Regional Water Forum of West Africa in 2026

Abidjan Hosts the 1st Regional Water Forum of West Africa

Regional organizations and national authorities are uniting to tackle mounting structural and climatic threats to water security. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), through its Water Resources Management Center (CGRE), joined forces with the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to establish the 1ère édition du Forum régional sur l’eau en Afrique de l’ouest (FREAO).

Ivorian Minister of Waters and Forests Jacques Assahoré Konan formally launched the upcoming event on Monday, July 27, 2026, in Abidjan, alongside high-ranking officials including Gustave Diasso, the resident representative of the UEMOA Commission in Côte d’Ivoire, and Alexis Kouakou, director of the CGRE. Speaking under the theme « Valorisons l’eau pour transformer l’Afrique de l’Ouest », Minister Assahoré described the forum during the launch as an « appel pressant à l’action collective ».

According to official announcements from the launch, the forum aims to establish a shared strategic vision across member states, regional institutions, and financial partners. Minister Assahoré emphasized that « Le FREAO est la concrétisation de cette alliance stratégique entre nos organisations régionales, nos États membres et nos partenaires techniques et financiers, autour d’une vision commune, faire de l’eau un facteur de stabilité, d’intégration régionale et de transformation économique pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest ».

Strategic Imperatives Across 28 Transboundary Basins

Water governance in West Africa involves complex geopolitical management, as the region abrite à elle seule 28 bassins hydrographiques transfrontaliers, couvrant près de 71 % de sa superficie. With the sole exception of Cabo Verde, chaque État ouest-africain partage au moins une frontière fluviale ou maritime avec un pays voisin, making cooperative resource management an urgent necessity for regional stability.

Alexis Kouakou, director of the ECOWAS Water Resources Management Center, emphasized that the new regional forum responds to the « besoin impérieux de transcender les frontières géographiques afin d’unifier les actions régionales, en offrant une plateforme de haut niveau pour promouvoir l’hydro-diplomatie et sécuriser les investissements ». Organizers plan to convene all vital forces of the sector biennially—including decision-makers, researchers, civil society representatives, private sector actors, technical and financial partners, donors, and countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—to address major climatic and structural challenges threatening water security.

Four Thematic Priorities Shaping the September Agenda

The inaugural gathering will structure its working sessions around four core thematic pillars designed to generate operational recommendations and accelerate progress toward global development targets. The four main themes slated for debate during the event comprise the Water–Energy–Food–Environment Nexus, the financing of hydraulic infrastructure, gender, youth and social inclusion, and regional cooperation and hydro-diplomacy. Deliberations are expected to produce a consolidated assessment of the regional Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) process alongside operational recommendations, as well as a status report on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) in West Africa.