Sharing the benefits around large dams in West Africa

Major dams have long been criticised by NGOs, however they need not necessarily spell disaster for the communities they displace, if benefits from the dam can be shared over its whole lifetime. The report "Sharing the benefits of large dams in West Africa" from the International Institute for Environment and Development coincide with a regional consultation about how future dams in West Africa can share benefits with local people, including river users and communities who have been displaced.

The report acknowledges that many dam programmes that have resettled and compensated people have been problematic especially after a few years, when compensation measures linked to the construction of the dam come to an end. But it points to mechanisms where direct or indirect benefits from hydropower or irrigation schemes have been shared with local people. The challenge is to ensure that displaced people benefit through the lifetime of the dam – as much as 50 to 80 years – and not just for the first 5 to 10 years when the project’s main financial backers are still engaged. The report says mechanisms that engage and support affected communities will also benefit governments, investors and dam operators by promoting good community relations, public support for infrastructure development and improved livelihoods.

English "Sharing the benefits around large dams in West Africa": http://www.iied.org/pubs/pdfs/12555IIED.pdf

French "Partage des bénéfices issus des grands barrages en Afrique de l'Ouest" http://www.iied.org/pubs/pdfs/12555FIIED.pdf

For further information contact : Jamie Skinner, Cluster Leader, Global Water Initiative - West Africa, International Institute for Environment and Development, 4 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2EN, Scotland. Email: Jamie.skinner@..., Tel : + 44 131 226 6866, Fax: + 44 131 624 7050