Transboundary natural ecosystems
Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Benin
The Volta River Basin in West Africa covers 417,000 km2 and is shared by six countries: Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Benin. The WISE-UP project focuses on the part of the Volta River running through Ghana and Burkina Faso. Water resources in the basin are under stress, as a result of increasing demand due to high population growth, variability of rainfall and runoff, and uncoordinated water resources development. Flooding, water shortages and pollution, loss of biodiversity, waterborne diseases, and proliferation of aquatic weeds affect the region’s poor disproportionately.
The critical water resource challenges in the basin can be addressed through better mechanisms for coordination amongst riparian States, through increased water storage for subsistence farmers, by reducing waterborne disease, and supporting biodiversity, and deriving maximum benefits from hydropower through existing and planned hydropower plants. WISE-UP in the Volta Basin provides analysis, information and tools to help governments, basin agencies, and stakeholders assess options for climate-resilient water infrastructure development and the associated trade-offs.
