Regional Workshop on the Hydrological Model and Decision Support Tool for the Volta Basin

From September 16 to 19, 2025, a regional capacity-building workshop was held in Lomé on the water resources model and the Decision Support Tool (DST) for sustainable planning and management of the Volta River Basin. Organized as part of the REWarD – Volta River Basin project, this workshop is part of a regional effort to strengthen transboundary water governance and restore the basin’s ecosystems.

The official opening was chaired by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Water and Sanitation of Togo, with notable remarks from the coordinator of the national focal structure, the representative of DHI, the Acting Executive Secretary of GWP-WA, the Deputy Executive Director of the Volta Basin Authority (VBA), and the Secretary General representing the Minister.

Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by UNEP, IUCN, VBA, and GWP-WA, the REWarD project aims to reverse ecosystem degradation and promote integrated, ecosystem-based development in the Volta Basin. It builds on the findings of the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and the Strategic Action Programme (SAP), validated in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

Key environmental and institutional challenges identified include:

  • Variability in water flows
  • Coastal erosion
  • Invasive aquatic species
  • Sedimentation and loss of vegetation cover
  • Water pollution
  • Governance and coordination challenges

The workshop aimed to equip basin stakeholders with the skills and knowledge to:

  • Understand the theoretical and technical foundations of the basin’s hydrological model
  • Use the MIKE by DHI software to simulate management scenarios
  • Convert model outputs into environmental, social, and economic indicators
  • Explore the DST’s web interface and visualization tools
  • Define specifications for scenarios and indicators to be used in case studies

Toward Data-Driven and Inclusive Planning

This training enabled participants to take ownership of the technical tools developed under the REWarD project and to strengthen their ability to contribute to integrated and sustainable water resource management in the Volta Basin. It marks a key milestone in the project’s implementation and in the consolidation of inclusive, data-driven governance.

 

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