Strengthening flood forecasting and early warning in the Volta river basin: Protecting lives and livelihoods in one of West Africa's major river basins

A technical team worked with local partners to strengthen flood forecasting in the Oti River through the development of a forecasting model and early warning system, as well as knowledge exchange with Japanese experts.

Stretching across six sub-Saharan African countries, the Volta River basin is one of the major river basins in West Africa. While the entire river basin has been frequently affected by flooding over the years—as most recently in October 2020-, this is especially true for the Oti River basin. The Oti River springs from Benin’s Atakora Mountains, flows through Burkina Faso and Togo before joining the Volta River in Ghana.

Under the Japan-World Bank Program for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in Developing Countries and in collaboration with the governments of Togo, Ghana and the Volta Basin Authority (VBA) among other local partners, GFDRR provided support toward strengthening flood forecasting in the Volta River basin, with a focus on the Oti River.