The government and partners anticipate the impacts of floods in Burkina Faso

Several countries in West Africa are currently experiencing extreme rainfall, with more forecast to arrive. On 8 September 2025, the flood-risk thresholds in Burkina Faso’s national anticipatory action plan for floods were reached in two of the six target regions, Kuilsé (Centre-North) and Liptako (Sahel). This triggered the release of 1 million US dollars that will enable humanitarian partners to deliver timely, life-saving support to vulnerable communities, including protection services, improving people’s food security, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and shelter services.

The funding, which comes from the Regional Humanitarian Pooled Fund for West and Central Africa, has been allocated to local non-governmental organizations. This marks the first allocation for anticipatory action from a Regional Humanitarian Pooled Fund.

A recurring threat in the region

This is the second year in a row that floods have hit people across West Africa, following the devasting events that affected millions in 2024. The recurring threat of floods was one of the reasons the country’s Technical Working Group on Anticipatory Action developed an anticipatory action plan. Led by the government of Burkina Faso and coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture, this working group demonstrates strong national support for anticipatory action as a critical element of disaster management.

The plan includes a built-in monitoring and learning mechanism that will assess the effectiveness of anticipatory action, including this activation for floods.