Demand 05
Center Indigenous and Community Knowledge Systems
For centuries, West African communities have protected water through traditional rules set by chiefs, queen mothers, tindanas, imams, and elders(IPACC & UNESCO, 2025; Nunoo et al., 2022). Local knowledge carries generations of experience in reading climate patterns, protecting watersheds, and sharing wells fairly, yet its incorporation into formal water governance across sub-Saharan Africa remains limited and largely symbolic (Ebhuoma & Leonard, 2026). This demand calls on governments, ECOWAS institutions, and international partners to formally recognize customary governance and integrate local expertise into national water policy, infrastructure planning, and climate adaptation strategies (Adom et al., 2022). Survey respondents from Ghana emphasized that water is a "communal ancestral heritage, not a commodity" and called for resources to be decentralized to rural communities. Rural communities were identified as the single most affected group by water insecurity, followed closely by women, girls, and indigenous groups. Youth advocated for a regional "Blue Curriculum" in schools to teach children about ocean and river ecosystems, water sovereignty, and traditional conservation practices.
Call To Action
Governments must formally recognize legitimate customary institutions and community governance systems as stakeholders in water management.
Local knowledge should influence decisions about water sources, locations, technologies, maintenance and access.
Rural and underserved communities should have greater authority and financial resources to manage local water systems.
Governments should support locally accountable water committees that include women, youth, farmers, pastoralists and other water users
Governments must establish legal frameworks that integrate traditional ecological knowledge and customary water tenure into national environmental impact assessments (EIAs) before any major commercial or infrastructure project is approved in rural watersheds.
We call for agricultural extension programs and subsidies to support farmers, especially dry-season irrigators, in adopting sustainable buffer-zone management and reducing pesticide runoff to protect water bodies and aquatic life.
Governments must invest in youth-led water-recycling enterprises, sustainable businesses, and eco-restoration ventures through green grants, ensuring grassroots youth institutions are properly included and have accessible opportunities.
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