Demand 01
Recognize Water as a Fundamental Human and Ecological Right
We demand that governments across West Africa recognize and guarantee water as a fundamental human right and an essential ecological resource. Access to safe, sufficient, affordable and reliable water must not depend on income, geography, gender, political influence or social status. Yet water insecurity remains widespread. Across Western and Central Africa, only 30% of the population has access to safely managed drinking water, while 22% rely on limited, unimproved or surface-water sources. In Accra, for example, historical World Bank evidence found piped public supply reaching 80% of the richest neighbourhoods compared with only 16% of low-income neighbourhoods. We therefore demand that governments prioritize universal access, public investment and equitable distribution over systems that exclude those who cannot afford to pay.
Call To Action
We call on governments across West Africa to recognise water as an enforceable fundamental human right essential to the rights to life, health, dignity, education,food and livelihoods, consistent with African human-rights commitments and the Global Goal on Adaptation.
We call on governments to protect water ecosystems as essential ecological systems, including rivers, wetlands, watersheds, groundwater and transboundary water resources, from pollution, over-extraction, degradation and climate-related risks.
We call for equitable and non-discriminatory water governance, ensuring that income, geography, gender, disability, displacement or social status does not determine access to safe water, and that affected communities, including women, youth, Indigenous and local communities have meaningful participation in water-resource decision-making.
We call for water to be integrated more explicitly into National Adaptation Plans, NDCs and climate finance priorities, with measurable targets for reducing climate-induced water scarcity, mitigating shock, and strengthening resilience to floods, droughts and other water-related hazards, in line with the Global Goal on Adaptation.
We call for stronger regional cooperation on transboundary water resources across West Africa, including through river basin institutions and ECOWAS, to promote equitable, sustainable and climate-resilient management of shared water resources.
Water sovereignty should be a priority for all governments . Citizens deserve an adequate supply of water for their daily and industrial uses. It should not be a privilege- this should be a matter of fundamental human rights.
We call on governments to make public water boards available and usable for all communities members, by using Local Government Areas (LGAs) to identify low income communities having water challenges and prioritize interventions to such areas.
We call on governments to include “right to clean and accessible water” as an enforceable fundamental human right in their constitution.
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