The African Development Bank (AfDB) is set to provide €1 million to support water resource planning and investment preparation in the Mono River basin shared by Togo and Benin, as the two countries seek to strengthen management of a key cross-border natural resource.
The financing, to be delivered through the African Water Facility (AWF), will support the preparation of a Water Development and Management Master Plan and an investment programme designed to attract larger-scale funding for water infrastructure projects.
The project, which is awaiting approval by the AfDB Board of Directors, aims to develop a pipeline of bankable projects covering drinking water supply, irrigation, sanitation, hydropower development, ecosystem restoration and climate resilience.
Of the total funding, €700,000 will come as a grant from the African Water Facility, while the Mono Basin Authority (MBA), Togo and Benin will contribute €300,000 in co-financing.
The planned Water Development and Management Master Plan, known as SDAGE, will provide a strategic framework for how the two countries manage the basin and coordinate future investments.
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The accompanying investment plan will identify priority projects and help mobilise financing from development partners including the AfDB, the European Union, the Green Climate Fund and the French Development Agency.
According to the project appraisal report, the economic benefits of the initiative will depend on the implementation of the investments identified through the planning process. The studies are intended to make future projects more attractive to financiers and unlock significantly larger funding.
The financing strategy will cover short-, medium- and long-term investments aimed at improving water access, agricultural productivity, energy generation, environmental protection and climate adaptation.
Created in 2014, the Mono Basin Authority oversees management of the approximately 24,300-square-kilometre transboundary basin, about 88 percent of which is located in Togo.
The basin is crossed by the 467-kilometre Mono River and plays an important role in agriculture, fisheries, drinking water supply, irrigation and hydropower generation, particularly around the Nangbeto Dam.
However, the region faces growing pressures from climate change, including floods, droughts, deforestation and pollution.
The Mono Water Resources Management Project builds on recent cooperation between Lomé and Cotonou aimed at improving integrated water management across the shared basin.
In 2025, the two countries began preparations, with support from the European Union, for a regional initiative focused on identifying priority infrastructure needs and strengthening governance of the basin.
Beyond planning activities, the new project will also finance two pilot environmental operations.
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In Togo, the pilot initiative will focus on restoring degraded ecosystems in the Amou sub-basin using nature-based solutions. In Benin, efforts will target the control of invasive aquatic plants in Lake Djétoé.
The pilot projects are expected to serve as demonstration efforts before wider investments are rolled out across the Mono basin.
