13th Ordinary Session of the Technical Committee of Experts (TCE) on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).

Abidjan, 22 September 2026 – West African water experts met on 21 and 22 September at the Radisson Blu hotel in Abidjan for the 13th Ordinary Session of the Technical Committee of Experts (TCE) on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). In preparation for the 6th session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee, the meeting notably recommended holding the West Africa Regional Water Forum (FREAO) every two years and convening a ministerial meeting dedicated to transboundary water pollution.

Opened by Conservator General ZOUZOU née MAILLY Elvire-Joëlle, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Water and Forests of Côte d'Ivoire, the proceedings were chaired by Dr Bakary FATY, IWRM Focal Point of Senegal. They brought together national focal points, river basin organisations and the region's technical and financial partners.

Dr Eugène Wonnan YEO, Director General of Water Resources of Côte d'Ivoire, recalled that the sharing of experience between countries, basin organisations and partners “remains a precious asset that we must continue to cultivate.”

For Mr Alexis KOUASSI, Director of the ECOWAS Water Resources Management Centre (WRMC), the session paved the way for the 1st edition of the FREAO, “a historic event awaited for more than 25 years.”

Review and recommendations

The experts reviewed the 14 resolutions of the 5th session of the Ministerial Committee, 7 of which have been fully implemented. They examined the WRMC's 2025 activity report and 2026 work programme, the findings of the study on SDG 6 and the revision of the regional water policy.

Recommendations submitted to the ministers include:

•     FREAO: hold the forum every two years and award its 2nd edition to Cabo Verde;

•     2026 UN Water Conference: present a common West African position and set up a “West Africa Pavilion”;

•     Transboundary water pollution: launch a regional consultation from the first quarter of 2027 and convene a dedicated extraordinary ministerial meeting;

•     Water data: adopt a regional framework agreement on data sharing and interconnect national, basin and regional systems;

•     Governance: review the texts of the regional IWRM framework to reflect new geopolitical realities.

These recommendations were submitted to the 6th session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee, held on 23 September in Abidjan.