The African Youth Water Forum (AYWF) has called on African governments, development partners and communities to urgently invest in climate-resilient water and sanitation systems, warning that recurring floods across West Africa are rapidly evolving into a major public health and water security crisis.
In a statement issued on July 13, the Forum said the recent floods in Ghana, Togo and Nigeria have highlighted the vulnerability of drinking water sources, sanitation facilities and public infrastructure to extreme weather events linked to climate change.
According to the Forum, the impact of flooding extends beyond the destruction of homes and roads, as contaminated wells, boreholes and public toilets expose millions of people to diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoeal infections.
The Forum noted that while emergency response efforts by governments and humanitarian agencies have been commendable, Africa must shift its focus towards preventing disasters through long-term investment in resilient infrastructure.
“Floods should never become a death sentence or a public health emergency simply because communities lack resilient water systems. Every flood that contaminates a well or borehole reminds us that climate resilience begins with safe water. Africa must shift from reacting to disasters to investing in prevention before the next flood arrives,” the statement noted.
The Forum cited the recent floods in Ghana, which claimed at least 13 lives, displaced families, damaged homes, and contaminated drinking water sources.
It commended the government’s emergency response, including the release of hundreds of millions of cedis for relief and flood mitigation, but stressed that stronger drainage systems and climate-resilient water infrastructure are needed to reduce future risks.
It also pointed to devastating flooding in Togo, where nearly 24,000 people were affected and hundreds of homes destroyed, as well as Nigeria, where almost 460,000 people were impacted by floods during the 2025 season, resulting in 241 deaths and widespread destruction of infrastructure.
The AYWF expressed concern that more than 411 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to safely managed drinking water, making communities even more vulnerable when floods contaminate already scarce water sources.
Describing the situation as a continental wake-up call, the Forum warned that climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent across Africa, with ageing drainage systems and poorly protected water infrastructure unable to withstand increasingly intense rainfall.
“What happened in Accra, Lomé, and communities across Nigeria could happen anywhere on the continent,” the statement noted, adding that protecting safe water must become a central pillar of climate adaptation and disaster preparedness.
The Forum urged African governments to map and assess water facilities in flood-prone communities before every rainy season, invest in flood-resistant water and sanitation infrastructure, integrate water safety into national early-warning systems, establish emergency safe-water response plans, and intensify public education on hygiene and flood preparedness.
It further appealed to development partners and regional institutions to increase financing for climate-resilient water infrastructure, strengthen early-warning systems, and support youth-led innovations that promote long-term water security across the continent.
The Forum concluded by urging governments, the African Union, regional bodies, civil society, and the private sector to treat recent floods as a warning rather than an isolated emergency.
“Africa cannot continue rebuilding the same vulnerable water systems after every flood. The continent must move from emergency response to prevention by investing in infrastructure capable of protecting safe drinking water before disasters strike,” the statement added.
Read the full statement below:
