From 7 to 10 May 2024 in Accra, Ghana, the Volta Basin Authority (VBA), in collaboration with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the World Bank, developed an innovative water accounting dashboard. This tool is designed to improve transboundary water management in the Volta River Basin, a region facing major challenges such as water scarcity and the impacts of climate change.
This event aims to bring together key stakeholders for a hands-on experience with the dashboard, fostering a deeper understanding of its functionalities and gathering essential feedback for its finalisation.
In addition to the launch of the Water Accounting Dashboard, as part of the Memorandum of Understanding between IWMI and VBA, IWMI aims to use this workshop to engage VBA in discussions on the wealth of innovative data and tools being developed as part of the Digital Innovations for a Water Secure Africa (DIWASA) initiative. DIWASA offers a range of data products, tools and methodologies that could be crucial for VBA, providing a unique opportunity to use cutting-edge technologies and methodologies. By exploiting DIWASA products, the VBA can improve its management of water resources in the basin, ensuring sustainable and equitable use for all countries in the basin.
The main objective of this workshop is multifaceted. It aims to:
– Provide practical training in water accounting, encompassing the whole process from accessing satellite data to running the WA+ model and interpreting the results, ensuring that participants are well equipped to use the dashboard effectively in their day-to-day activities.
– Review the Water Accounting Dashboard in detail to familiarise participants with its functionality and capabilities and gather feedback for final adjustments to ensure that it effectively meets the needs of stakeholders.
– Discuss the integration of the dashboard on the VBA website, exploring best practice for a seamless user experience to enhance its usefulness and centralise its role in the VBA’s water management strategy.
– Share World Bank water accounting use cases to showcase global best practices and lessons learned. This broader perspective will inspire participants to adapt and apply these approaches in the Volta Basin to effectively address local water management needs.
– Demonstrate the practical applications of DIWASA through use cases illustrating the successful implementation of its data and tools to address real water management challenges, with the aim of inspiring participants by illustrating the tangible benefits and impact of integrating DIWASA innovations into water resources management practices.
– Gather and assess stakeholder needs and priority areas on water-related Earth observation data products and potential tools that can be developed by DIWASA.
– Jointly design the stakeholder engagement plan for the co-creation of tools and use cases.
