Demand 08
Demand Accountability from Governments and Polluting Industries
Laws and environmental agencies exist across West Africa, and every state in the region has endorsed United Nations General Assembly Resolution 64/292 recognizing water and sanitation as a human right, yet rivers continue to be polluted and boreholes dry up (United Nations General Assembly, 2010; WHO & UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme, 2025). Accountability remains the weakest link in regional water management. We call for strict enforcement of environmental protection laws, heavy penalties for industrial polluters, publicly accessible water quality data, protection for environmental defenders, and independent citizen oversight bodies. Only 1 out of 51 consultation respondents rated their country’s current water management as "very effective," while 37% rated it as explicitly ineffective. Respondents highlighted galamsey (illegal small-scale mining) in Ghana, which has heavily contaminated major rivers like the Pra, Ankobra, Densu, Offin, and Birim with toxic mud and mercury (Sarpong et al., 2025; Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 2025), alongside oil spills and unregulated dumping across the region. Stronger government policies and strict enforcement against polluters were ranked by youth as the top actions needed to secure West Africa’s water future (Institute for Security Studies, 2024).
Call To Action
Key institutions such as the Federal Ministry of Agriculture must work with intersecting agencies like Finance and Environment Ministries to fund and support more vulnerable small-scale farmers to adapt their farming practices and increase food distribution across the country.
We demand that governments enforce environmental and water-protection laws and impose effective penalties on polluters, including mandating that polluters pay for the full restoration of ecosystems and communities affected by water pollution.
We call for publicly accessible and regularly updated water-quality data, including information on pollution incidents and enforcement actions.
We call for legal protection and independent oversight mechanisms that enable environmental defenders and communities to monitor, report and challenge water pollution.
We call for the establishment of independent, fast-track environmental courts dedicated to prosecuting illegal mining (such as galamsey), corporate dumping, and severe water crimes, shielding local whistleblowers from intimidation.
We call for formal inclusion and funding of youth climate advocacy organisations and citizens water-monitoring networks in accountability and oversight mechanisms.
References
[6] https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/08/food-storage-as-business-opportunity/
[7] https://www.thecable.ng/fao-14-4m-nigerians-facing-food-crisis-amid-insecurity-rising-inflation