Africa is increasingly placing the management of transboundary basins at the heart of its climate change adaptation strategy, relying on cooperation around major shared rivers, lakes, and aquifers to secure water, ecosystems, and livelihoods. From the Nile Valley to the Sahel, including Lake Chad, these basins are becoming laboratories for climate governance, where the stakes are as much ecological as they are political and security-related.
For African ministers and regional institutions, the management of shared river and lake basins is now considered a pillar of climate resilience. Variations in rainfall, prolonged droughts, and recurring floods simultaneously affect several countries within the same basin, making a coordinated response essential rather than a purely national one.
In the Sahel, the African Development Bank (AfDB) is supporting, for example, a $9.48 million project to strengthen the resilience of wetlands in watersheds across Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Senegal. These wetlands, essential for agriculture, livestock farming, and fishing, are being degraded by unsustainable practices and climate change, directly threatening livelihoods.
When climate fuels water tensions
African officials warn that climate change is increasing the vulnerability of communities and can exacerbate tensions around transboundary watersheds. Decreased river flows, advancing desertification, population pressure, and dam or water transfer projects can fuel conflicts between users and between riparian states.
- The Moroccan Minister of Water emphasizes that droughts, floods, and ecosystem degradation increase the risk of tensions over shared resources.
- Specialized reports show that changes in hydrological regimes can reduce water availability, increase the risks of flooding and drought, and complicate the management of river borders.
The Nile and Lake Chad as showcases of cooperation
Some emblematic basins serve as models for strengthened climate cooperation. In the Nile Basin, the Climate Resilience Cooperation (NCCR) project has been supporting the sustainable management of water resources and the strengthening of cooperation mechanisms between riparian countries since 2021.
- The NCCR project, implemented under the auspices of the Nile Basin Initiative, aims to strengthen planning tools, information sharing, and joint climate risk management.
- The Lake Chad Basin Commission offers another framework for multi-country management of groundwater and wetlands, in line with ECOWAS strategies on shared resources.
Globally, cooperation on transboundary waters is progressing, and sub-Saharan Africa is among the most advanced regions in terms of operational co-management agreements. The number of countries with agreements covering most of their transboundary basins increased from 23 in 2017 to 43 in 2023, rising from 15% to 28% globally.
- In sub-Saharan Africa, UNESCO notes that approximately 46% of the countries concerned now have operational agreements to co-manage most of their shared basins.
- Regional economic communities such as the EAC and IGAD are integrating the management of transboundary basins into their climate and water strategies, encouraging common governance frameworks.
From Water Management to Human Security
Focusing on transboundary river basins is not just about hydrology: it touches on agriculture, energy, food security, migration, and peace. Strengthened cooperation around these basins can reduce the risk of conflict, stabilize territories, support agroecology, and foster shared climate adaptation solutions.
- The Climate Commission for the Sahel region, supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB), places basin governance at the heart of its actions, with a strong focus on climate services and early warning systems.
- The real challenge in the coming years will be the ability of states to translate this vision into concrete, funded, and inclusive projects that strengthen both the resilience of ecosystems and that of riverine communities.
