A two-day High-Level Forum on Defying Drought (D2) in West Africa concluded in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, with regional leaders and experts committing to address the growing challenges of drought. The event brought together policymakers from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal, along with technical experts from Morocco and Brazil. Representatives from regional and international organizations also participated.
During the forum, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the World Bank Group, the Government of Burkina Faso, and the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE). This agreement establishes the Africa Water Center (AWC), which will be based at 2iE in Ouagadougou. The AWC is intended to serve as a hub for innovation, partnership, knowledge exchange, and capacity building within the water sector.
West Africa faces increasing climate pressures. Population growth combined with declining per capita water resources is putting stress on supply and demand. Drought risk is rising alongside other extreme weather events such as floods and heatwaves. Over the past five decades, extreme drought conditions have increased by more than 230 percent in the region. These trends have had a significant impact on economic growth in developing economies across the Sahel. In some countries within this area, annual growth could decline by up to six percent by 2050 due to these pressures.
The new Africa Water Center aims to bring together partners and technical expertise while providing training to help institutions implement early warning systems, improve water planning and allocation, and coordinate drought management efforts.
Dr Aboubakar Nacanbo, Minister of Economy and Finance for Burkina Faso said: "Our Sahelian region has always endured the harshness of drought. More than an environmental challenge, drought is a threat to economic and social stability that weighs on our public finances, our infrastructure, the health of our populations, and inevitably, on peace. It is together—through solidarity, innovation, and cooperation—that we can transform it into a lever of opportunity for our people. We welcome the creation of the AWC, right here in Ouagadougou, a center destined to become a beacon of excellence and innovation for sustainable water management and South-South cooperation."
Professor El Hadji Bamba Diaw, Director General of 2iE stated: "The Africa of tomorrow will be built with the solutions we put in place today. The establishment of the AWC marks a decisive milestone in our collective commitment to equip the continent with a true strategic tool, a lever for cooperation, a driver of socio-economic development, and a pillar of social peace. The Center will be a true hub of scientific and technical excellence, a premier space for the production and transmission of knowledge where academic expertise, technological innovations, and practical solutions tailored to African realities will converge—all in service of territorial resilience and the structural transformation of our economies."
Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for Western and Central Africa said: “Drought knows no borders. To defy it we must act on three fronts: knowledge for better anticipation through reliable data and effective early warning systems; regional cooperation because no country can face it alone; and action with determination to implement concrete solutions. By combining knowledge cooperation and action we can transform the threat of drought into an opportunity to strengthen our societies our agriculture and our economies. The AWC offers a unique opportunity to tackle major water-related challenges in our region.”
Juergen Voegele World Bank Vice President for Planet Vertical commented: “Water-dependent sectors support 1.7 billion jobs worldwide. When water flows reliably economies grow; when it doesn’t opportunities disappear. Building resilience to drought is essential not only for the Sahel but for communities everywhere facing water scarcity. Knowledge and innovation generated through this initiative will help regions across the globe turn vulnerability into strength; driving job creation economic growth and a more water-secure future for all.”
The forum was organized by the World Bank Group alongside Burkina Faso’s government authorities as well as 2iE institute staff members as part of an effort under the World Bank Group Academy’s Impact Program Defying Drought (D2). This program aims to promote adoption of measures that build resilience against drought across West Africa.