A quantitative assessment of human interventions and climate change on the West African sediment budget

The West African coast consists of a narrow low-lying coastal strip, maintained by sediments from rivers and transported along the coast by waves and currents, a process comparable to a Sand River. However, this sandy coastal barrier is eroding almost everywhere and the already critical situation is likely to be worsened in the future due to climate change. Deltares is an independent institute for applied research in the field of water, subsurface and infrastructure. Throughout the world, they work on smart solutions, innovations and applications for people, environment and society. Upon request from The World Bank and in collaboration with the WACA program (West Africa Coastal Areas Program), Deltares has set-up a large-scale coastal sediment budget for the following countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Benin. The study is unique in its methodology as it is based on a consistent set of numerical models, thus reducing the fragmentation of information between different countries.