Regional Initiatives

Economic Commission for West African States (ECOWAS)

ECOWAS has a Regional Water Resources Coordination Unit with the responsibility of organizing interstate water catchment management, and has a mandate to ensure policy compliance and conflict resolution with regards to water and catchment management activities vital for adaptation and food security in a region that experiences extreme and frequent climate variability. More information available here.

Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS).

This is a regional committee set up to assist nine African countries in the Sahel adapt and combat drought and desertification.  More information available here

AGRHYMET Niamey, Niger

This is a regional research institution as part of CILSS setup to enhance and support nation-members’ capacities in coping with drought and desertification. AGRHYMET has also been conducting research on adaptable agricultural management practices to Sahelian conditions, enhancing water use efficiency of crops, breeding drought tolerant seeds, rainwater harvesting and management, and also using meteorological data and satellite imagery in providing early warnings of droughts and crop failures to the various nations in the region. More information available here.

GLOWA Volta Project

This is one of five interdisciplinary research projects studying global change in the water cycle and its impacts on rainfall, land use and water availability. The overall goal of GLOWA Volta is to develop, in close collaboration with local and international partners, a scientific information system that will integrate data and knowledge to provide decision support for planning, management and use of water resources in the Volta basin of Ghana and Burkina Faso. More information available here.

United States Agency for International Development – West African Regional Program (USAID /WARP)

WARP has an ongoing project designed to document and quantify the impacts of West Africa Land Use and Land Cover changes on the environment and land resources throughout West Africa. The main goal is to promote the use of geographic information system to help develop policies and sustainable policy responses that would lead to better natural resource management, conservation, food security and human well-being. More information available here.

Onco-Project

This project is in the Volta Basin primarily looking at the incidence of river blindness and changes in land use practices. It is currently under the auspices of ECOWAS and FAO and involves Ghana and Burkina Faso.  More information available here.

Northern Savanna Biodiversity Conservation Project

This is a regional initiative for biodiversity conservation across national boundaries through the provision of safe corridors for the movement of wildlife freely across national boundaries. This will eliminate potential conflicts and reduce poaching.