The Ministerial Monitoring Committee for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in West Africa convened for its 5th ordinary session on Friday, June 28, 2024, in Abuja. The session brought together ministers responsible for water resources from the 15 ECOWAS Member States.
This ministerial meeting followed the recently concluded 11th Ordinary Session of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which addressed critical issues related to promoting IWRM and sustainable development in West Africa. Key topics included the draft Directive on managing shared water resources, development of hydraulic infrastructures, promotion of new transboundary basin organizations, establishment of a West African Water Facility (Fund), and the Regional Initiative for the Development, Resilience, and Valorization of Water Resources (DREVE).
DREVE is an ambitious program led by ECOWAS and other regional integration organizations such as WAEMU and CILSS, with financial support from the World Bank. Its implementation aims to significantly enhance sustainable development in the region.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Sediko Douka, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy, and Digitalization, reaffirmed ECOWAS’s commitment to sub-regional cooperation rooted in the shared political vision expressed in the “Ouagadougou Declaration” of 1998. This declaration has guided efforts in integrated water resources management for nearly three decades.
Mr. Douka highlighted access challenges in both water and energy sectors and emphasized the need to expedite tangible projects for water and sanitation access. He noted that a regional program has been established to provide clean water to rural and peri-urban areas. “We are humbly relying on our technical and financial partners to support us in this process,” he said.
Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, Nigeria’s Honorable Minister of Water Resources & Sanitation, emphasized unity among member states to achieve developmental growth and manage sub-region’s water resources effectively. “There is a saying that ‘teamwork makes the dream work,’” he stated. “This can also be said about our sub-region.”
Engr. Utsev pointed out that proper harnessing and coordination of abundant water resources could serve as a cornerstone for developmental growth impacting health, education, tourism, food security, and energy positively. However, he cautioned that lack of coordination could lead to underdevelopment and conflict among countries due to upstream activities affecting downstream nations.
“The sub-region has great potential,” he concluded. “By working together, we can tackle our challenges—from climate change, poverty, unemployment to inequality.”
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