© Anna Romanova
- September 22, 2025
From 15–19 September 2025, UNEP-DHI conducted a workshop hosted by the Volta Basin authority (VBA) and Global Water Partnership West Africa (GWP-WA) in Lomé, Togo. This workshop was organised as part of the ReWARD project, to train stakeholders from the six countries of the Volta River Basin.
The volta ReWARD project:
The ReWARD project aims to promote integrated, ecosystem-based development in the Volta River Basin by strengthening transboundary governance and restoring ecosystems to support sustainable livelihoods. Spanning six West African countries, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Togo, the Volta River Basin covers nearly 398,000 km² and is the ninth largest in sub-Saharan Africa.
Training on Hydrological Modelling and Collaborative Planning:
During the workshop, country representatives and officials from the Volta Basin Authority were trained in MIKE HYDRO Basin, a hydrological and water allocation model developed by DHI. Participants also contributed to co-designing a water resource planning tool that will allow basin countries to assess the impacts of various scenarios—such as new dams, expanded irrigation or climate change—on water availability.
Dr. Dibi Milligo, Deputy Executive Director of the Volta Basin Authority highlighted:
‘You can’t manage water resources without accurate, high-quality data. This workshop equips VBA and member countries with the skills to generate the information essential for sound decision-making for better water resources management in the Volta river basin’
These tools and models aim to support informed, climate-resilient decision-making for water resources management across the basin.
UNEP-DHI’s Contribution:
The UNEP-DHI Centre is contributing to the ReWARD project by developing surface water models, decision support tools for transboundary planning, and a community-based drought early warning system. This work will continue through 2026, with two additional capacity-building workshops planned.
The five-year ReWARD project (2023–2028) is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through UNEP and IUCN, and implemented by the Volta Basin Authority and Global Water Partnership-West Africa.
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UNEP DHI Partnership – Centre on Water and Environment
Agern Allé 5, 2970 Denmark
Tel: +45 45169200