Message from the ECOWAS Commission

Since 1993, the United Nations has marked World Water Day annually on 22 March, thereby affirming the universal significance of water as an essential resource at the very foundation of human life, health, dignity, and sustainable development. This important observance also serves as a powerful reminder of a pressing global reality: over than two billion people across the world still lack access to safely managed drinking water.

In this regard, World Water Day provides a vital platform for highlighting the efforts undertaken by States and the international community to address the global water crisis and to advance the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6, namely universal access to water and sanitation by 2030.

The commemoration for this year is held under the theme “Water for Equality,”.

The global water crisis continues to affect populations across the world in profoundly unequal ways. The persistent lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation not only reflects, but also deepens existing inequalities, disproportionately burdening women, girls, and the most vulnerable segments of our societies  

Across our societies, women and girls continue to shoulder the primary responsibility for the collection and management of water, as well as for the care of those affected by waterborne diseases. These disproportionate burdens have profound and far-reaching implications for their health, safety, and economic prospects, while they remain markedly underrepresented in decision-making processes and in access to financing within the water sector.

In West Africa, this situation remains particularly acute and is a matter of serious concern.

Since the landmark West African Conference on Integrated Water Resources Management IWRM (COA-IWRM) held in Ouagadougou in 1998, West Africa member States have demonstrated strong commitment to advancing a regional agenda on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in integrating gender, youth, and vulnerable groups. Notable achievements include:

Over the past decades, the region has recorded significant and commendable progress, notably through:

• the adoption, in 2008, of the West Africa Water Resources Policy, which enshrines gender equality and social inclusion as guiding principles;
• the implementation across numerous countries of national water and sanitation policies that systematically integrate gender-responsive and inclusive approaches; and
• the rollout of major regional programs addressing the critical nexus between water, climate, development, and gender, including targeted initiatives designed to enhance access to safe drinking water for vulnerable populations within ECOWAS Member States.

While these achievements are worthy of recognition and commendation, it must be acknowledged with candor that significant challenges persist.

Today, water governance in West Africa stands at a decisive and critical juncture. The intensifying impacts of climate change, rapid demographic growth, heightened competition over water resources, and enduring socio-economic vulnerabilities are exerting unprecedented pressure on our systems. In this evolving context, traditional approaches—predominantly technical and centralized in nature—can no longer adequately address the scale and complexity of the challenges before us.

There is now an urgent need for a profound transformation in our governance frameworks. The effective integration of gender, youth, and social inclusion is not merely a matter of fairness—it is a fundamental prerequisite for the sustainability, efficiency, and resilience of our water policies and interventions.

Women, youth, and vulnerable communities play a central role in the day-to-day management of water, yet remain underrepresented in decision-making arenas. This situation creates a disconnect between the actual needs of populations and institutional responses, thereby limiting the impact of investments and weakening social cohesion.

Conversely, experiences across several countries and river basins in the region demonstrate that more inclusive governance leads to more responsive policies, stronger local ownership, and reduced risks of water-related conflicts.

To accelerate the transition towards more equitable and inclusive water management, there is an imperative need for a profound and systemic transformation of our governance frameworks. Such a transformation must be underpinned by stronger and more binding legal instruments, enhanced institutional coordination, sustainable and predictable financing mechanisms, as well as robust monitoring and evaluation systems that are responsive to gender and youth considerations. It further calls for a deliberate and progressive shift away from entrenched social norms that perpetuate exclusion. Equally, it necessitates sustained investment in the capacity development of local actors, who remain the cornerstone of effective water policy implementation

Advancing truly inclusive water governance in West Africa requires that water be positioned as a strategic catalyst for social justice, sustainable economic development, and enduring peace. This endeavor calls for a resolute, collective, and well-coordinated commitment from all stakeholders—Member States, Transboundary Basin Organizations, local authorities, civil society, the private sector, as well as women and youth themselves.

It is in this very spirit that the theme of gender, youth, and social inclusion has been accorded a central and strategic place on the agenda of the First Edition of the West Africa Regional Water Forum (FREAO), to be convened in September 2026 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, under the theme: “Valuing Water to Transform West Africa.”

ECOWAS Water Resources Management Centre