West African countries have opened a major regional discussion on water governance in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, as experts work to strengthen cooperation over the management of shared water resources.

The two-day meeting, which began on September 22, 2026, brings together technical experts and national focal points from the 15 ECOWAS member states, alongside representatives of transboundary basin organisations, development partners and civil society.

The meeting is the 13th Ordinary Session of the Technical Experts Committee of the Permanent Framework for Coordination and Monitoring of Integrated Water Resources Management, organised by 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).

West Africa has 28 shared river basins covering almost 71 percent of the region’s land area, making cooperation over water resources an important part of regional development and stability.

Opening the session on behalf of Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Water and Forests, Jacques Assahoré Konan, the ministry’s Chief of Staff, Conservateur Générale Elvire-Joëlle Zouzou épouse Mailly, highlighted the country’s efforts to strengthen water governance.

She pointed to the adoption of a new Water Code in 2023, a revised National Water Policy and a Water Resources Master Plan as evidence of Côte d’Ivoire’s institutional commitment to effective water management.

Speaking on behalf of the three organising institutions, ECOWAS Water Resources Management Centre Director Kouassi Kouakou Alexis said climate variability, population growth and environmental degradation were placing increasing pressure on the region’s water resources.

“Integrated Water Resources Management is no longer simply a methodological option. It is a necessity for survival and a powerful driver of regional integration,” he said.

The technical experts are reviewing the implementation of 14 resolutions adopted at the previous ministerial session and preparing recommendations for the 6th Ordinary Session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee.

Delegates also discussed two regional directives on hydraulic infrastructure and shared water resources adopted by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in December 2024.

The meeting further examined the revision of the West Africa Water Resources Policy and the proposed West African Water Fund, whose implementation remains pending despite a feasibility study supported by the World Bank.

Progress was also reported on the establishment of the Mano River Transboundary Basin Management Authority, whose legal instruments have received technical and ministerial validation.

Civil society representatives called for stronger participation in regional water governance, including greater attention to women and young people.

The meeting will provide technical recommendations for the 6th Ministerial Monitoring Committee session and feed into the First West Africa Regional Water Forum, scheduled for September 24–25 in Abidjan under the theme, “Valuing Water to Transform West Africa.”

The discussions come as West Africa prepares for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in Abu Dhabi and the African Union’s designation of 2026 as the Year of Water.