By Lawrencia Ziwu
Abidjan, June 24, GNA – Côte d’Ivoire has called for urgent collective action to safeguard the Volta Basin against environmental degradation and climate change.
Mr Jacques Assahoré Konan, Minister of Water and Forests, made the appeal at the opening of the 5th Volta Basin Stakeholders Forum in Abidjan.
He described the basin as a strategic resource for economic development which must be protected.
Mr Konan said climate change, population growth, urbanisation, agricultural expansion and mining activities continued to exert pressure on the basin’s water, forests, wetlands and biodiversity.
He urged accelerated restoration of degraded ecosystems, stronger transboundary governance, increased investment in climate resilience and greater involvement of women, youth and local communities in natural resource management.
“The time for diagnosis is over. The time for action has come,” he said.
The forum, held alongside the Regional Workshop for Political Validation, Dissemination and Capitalisation of Environmental Capital Assessment Results, brought together representatives from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Togo, as well as development partners and experts, to strengthen cooperation and chart a sustainable future for the Volta Basin.
Mr Konan described the proposed Sustainable Management of Shallow Groundwater Resources in the Volta Basin (SuGroM-VB) project as a key initiative for improving water security, agricultural development and climate resilience while attracting international financing.
Dr Amadou Lamine Ndiaye, Executive Secretary of the Global Water Partnership West Africa (GWP-WA), noted that competition for water and land resources was contributing to tensions in vulnerable communities.
He said an environmental assessment conducted under the REWarD Project provided critical information on ecosystem health, ecosystem services and the social impacts of environmental change.
Dr Dibi Millogo, Deputy Executive Director of the Volta Basin Authority, said forests, wetlands and biodiversity within the basin were under increasing threat, while water resources faced mounting pressure from climate change and human activities.
He urged governments and stakeholders to treat nature as valuable infrastructure that supports agriculture, food security and economic growth, emphasising that ecosystem protection was an investment in the future rather than an environmental cost.
