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African Youth Organisations Make a Joint Call for Action at FREAO

As the West African Regional Water Forum (FREAO) takes place in Abidjan, youth and Civil Society Organisations across West Africa are joining their voices around a shared call for stronger, more inclusive and accountable action on water.

The Forum comes at a critical time for the region. Climate change, population growth, urbanisation and environmental degradation are placing increasing pressure on water resources, with implications for livelihoods, food systems, energy and community resilience.

As regional stakeholders consider the future of water governance in West Africa, we call for commitments to move beyond dialogue and translate into financing, planning and implementation that respond to the realities of communities across the region.

We call on ECOWAS, governments, development partners and regional institutions to:

  1. Make Water Finance Reach Communities, Not Just Projects

    Water finance should be transparent, accessible and responsive to communities most affected by water insecurity. This includes better tracking of water finance and flexible financing that enables community organisations and youth-led initiatives to participate in and implement solutions.

  2. Put Water At The Centre Of Food And Energy Planning

    Agriculture, food systems and energy investments have significant implications for water resources. Major regional investments should therefore assess water use and availability, with water, food and energy considered together in planning and decision-making.

  3. Recognise Water Insecurity as a Driver of Livelihood Loss and Displacement

    Water insecurity affects farmers, pastoralists, fishers and other water-dependent communities, with implications for livelihoods, mobility and resilience. Water risks should be integrated into development, agricultural, migration and conflict-prevention planning.

  4. Build a West African Water Data Commons

    Reliable and accessible data is essential for effective water governance. We call for open regional data on river flows, groundwater, rainfall, drought, flooding, water quality, withdrawals, infrastructure and climate risks to support early warning, planning and informed local action.

  5. Turn the Water Forum into a Mechanism for Delivery and Accountability

    Regional commitments should be accompanied by clear responsibilities, financing and timelines. We call for a public implementation scorecard to track commitments and progress, with meaningful participation from civil society, youth and affected communities.

FREAO provides an important opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation on water. The discussions and commitments emerging from the Forum should lead to concrete action that communities can experience and measure.

We urge regional institutions, governments and development partners to take these priorities forward in regional water policy and implementation, and to ensure that young people, civil society and affected communities have meaningful opportunities to participate in monitoring progress and holding institutions accountable.


This Call to Action has been signed by the following organisations:

  1. Youth Climate Collective - Nigeria

  2. Sustainable Youth Development Network - Ghana

  3. Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF) - Nigeria 

  4. GroundTruth Africa Network (GtAN)

  5. News Agency of Nigeria TransGreen Foundation (TGF) - Nigeria

  6. Initiative Bonne Gouvernance des ressources naturelles au Kivu (IBGRN/K) - DRCongo

  7. Yard Development Initiative (YDI) - NIGERIA 

  8. Centre for Broadcast Investigative Journalism (CBIJ)

  9. Initiative pour la Protection des 

  10. CommunityWaterConnect Initiative - Ghana

  11. Youth Movement for SDGs 

  12. Nigerian Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security Agenda.

  13. Bluegreen Initiative for Sustainable Development Network 

  14. Association for Farmers Rights Defense, AFRD

  15. BioFarmers for Sustainable Agriculture, BFSA

  16. Accurate Environmental Consultz Limited - Nigeria

  17. Nigerian Youth Parliament 

  18. Young Professionals in Agricultural Development

  19. Eco-friendly Sensitisation and Advocacy

  20. Green Conservers - Tanzania 

  21. Heela Green Resources 

  22. Break-free From Plastic Awareness Initiative - Nigeria

  23. HerViva Green Solutions - Nigeria

  24. Connected Advocacy - Nigeria

  25. Spotlight on Environment - Nigeria

  26. Jamaa Resource Initiatives - Kenya 

  27. Climate Alaramma Sustainable Development Initiative (CASDI) - Nigeria 

  28. Yanayi Haki Afriqya- Uganda 

  29. MMA Green Enterprise - Nigeria 

  30. Nature Conservation Advocates for Climate Initiative (NCACI)

  31. Sabangena nge tinhlamulo NPC

  32.  Intime Green Life Company LTD - Rwanda

  33. Tide Network 

  34. Climate and Sustainable Development Network (CSDevNet)

  35. Farmers Market Network of Nigeria

  36. Alliance for Empowering Rural Communities(AERC-GHANA) - Ghana

  37. Ecosafe Naija — Nigeria 

  38.  Accurate Foundation for Environmental Awareness (AFEA) - Nigeria

  39. Climate inclusion Network - Uganda

  40. Michael Adedotun Oke  - Nigeria 

  41. Green Climate Africa - Nigeria

  42. Labspace Nigeria Limited - Nigeria