Governing Groundwater: The Why and the How

Introduction

The potential and needs of accelerating groundwater development in Sub-Saharan Africa are large; equally large are the challenges to govern the resource sustainably. This session provides new insights on the economic benefits of growing groundwater development and discusses entry points for better managing groundwater resources.

Session Description

Various studies have pointed to the vast groundwater potential of Africa. Groundwater can support agricultural as well as urban growth through improving water security, food production, and industrial development. However, the region has no framework for developing groundwater sustainably and the overall economic benefits from development as well as potential environmental costs remain unknown. This session provides an overview of global groundwater development trends and then zooms into Sub-Saharan Africa to assess why and how groundwater needs to be governed for the regions future. Specifically, the session will feature presentations on 1) the potential economic benefits from accelerated groundwater development in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2) the role of legal frameworks in supporting sustainable groundwater development in the region; 3) AMCOW’s experience in groundwater management; and 4) experiential games to strengthen groundwater governance: Insights from Ethiopia and Ghana. This will be followed by a panel discussed focused on two key questions: 1) What is needed to develop the promise of groundwater development in Africa? and 2) How can we strengthen groundwater governance in the