Prosperity is based on water, especially in low-income areas where more than half of all jobs are in industries related to water. This percentage rises to 62 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the clear connection between economic performance and rainfall unpredictability. Due to their reliance on rain-fed agriculture and susceptibility to climatic shocks, communities in West Africa, particularly in the Sahel, confront acute vulnerability as global water stress intensifies—severe rainfall deficits have increased by more than 230 percent in the last 50 years. Heatwaves, floods, and droughts are becoming more frequent due to rising temperatures, which are predicted to be 1.5 times the global average. This puts a burden on both domestic and national resources. Regional cooperation has promoted resilience in spite of these obstacles. The foundation for growing sustainable irrigation and integrating water resource management across borders has been established by initiatives like the Dakar Declaration and its follow-up, the Sahel Irrigation Strategy (“Dakar +10”). An important step in expanding tried-and-true drought-resilience strategies has been taken with the recent inauguration of the Defying Drought Impact Program in Ouagadougou. Countries are adapting effective practices—like strategic water storage, irrigation service enhancements, and early warning systems—to their own national contexts through technical training, peer learning, and institutional assistance.
https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/voices/defying-drought-across-the-sahel?cid=ECR_LI_worldbank_EN_EXT