West Africa is confronting major floods this year as the rains have come with an unusual force across the region. In August, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced and homes destroyed in several countries, including Nigeria and Cape Verde. The disaster has been made worse by poor by Inadequate infrastructure, a changing climate, and societal inequities.
Environmental studies show rising global temperatures have increased moisture in the earth’s atmosphere, causing stronger and less predictable rainstorms. A 2022 World Weather Attribution study found that human-induced warming made the Lake Chad Basin floods 80 times more likely, a trend that has carried on into 2025.
The African Centre of Meteorological Application for Development (ACMAD) reported above-average rainfall in June and July, with forecasts predicting heavy rains through October, partly driven by La Niña.
Tropical Storm Erin caused disastrous floods in Cape Verde. On August 11, it dropped 193 mm of rain on São Vicente in five hours, far more than it normally gets in a year. The dry, hardened ground could not absorb the water, and it caused severe flooding.
Poorly planned city growth has been a major cause of flooding. Cities, like Lagos, are especially vulnerable because construction occurs on floodplains and drainage is poor. A disaster occurred in 2024 when Nigeria’s Alau Dam broke, flooding half of the northern city of Maiduguri and displacing 500,000 residents. In Cape Verde, São Vicente’s infrastructure was overwhelmed by the August 11 deluge, with roads, homes, and vehicles swept away.
The island’s lack of advanced radar systems prevented accurate forecasting of the storm’s intensity, making the impact worse. Across the region, outdated urban planning fails to account for intensified rainfall, leaving communities exposed.
Deforestation and land degradation have eroded natural flood defences. In the Sahel, degraded soils aggravate runoff, while deforestation intensifies storms. Chad lost 259,000 hectares of cropland to floods in 2024, a pattern continuing in Mali and Niger this year.
In Cape Verde, the rapid onset of flooding suggests environmental vulnerabilities, though specific data on local deforestation is limited. The loss of vegetation across West Africa has left landscapes unable to absorb heavy rains, turning what would have been moderate storms into destructive floods.
In 2024, over 4.4 million people were affected across West and Central Africa, with 500,000 displaced and over 1,000 killed, according to some figures. In August, Mali’s floods impacted 72,000 children, while Nigeria’s Borno and Kano states saw mass displacement.
In Cape Verde, the August 11 floods killed at least nine, including four children, displaced 1,500, and affected 3,000 on São Vicente and Santo Antão. The destruction of 61 schools in Mali and 13 health centres across the Sahel, alongside severed roads in Cape Verde, has disrupted education, healthcare, and transport.
The floods have had a devastating impact on agriculture, worsening food insecurity. Chad’s 2024 floods destroyed 259,000 hectares of cropland, with 2.6 million children across the Sahel at risk of severe malnutrition in 2025. Nigeria saw a 25% rise in child hunger from 2023 to 2024. In Cape Verde, while agriculture is less central, flooded markets and disrupted supply chains threaten food access, particularly for displaced communities.
Health Risks have also surged. Stagnant floodwaters have spiked waterborne diseases. Nigeria reported a 220% increase in cholera cases in 2024, with Borno a hotspot. Mali and Niger face rising malaria and diarrheal diseases. In Cape Verde, flooded sanitation systems raise concerns about disease outbreaks, though specific reports are limited. Health agencies warn of cholera risks across the region if medical supplies remain scarce.
Local aid agencies are already stretched thin. The WHO has supplied medical resources for 580,000 people, while UNICEF provides malaria kits and latrines in Niger. In Cape Verde, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reported 1,500 displaced and is coordinating relief.
Cape Verdeans living abroad are sending help. They have raised tens of thousands of euros to buy essential supplies. Separately, Portugal has sent a navy ship, the NRP Sines, with 56 crew members to provide aid to the islands of São Vicente and Santo Antão.
National responses vary. Mali declared a national disaster, Nigeria set up medical camps, and Cape Verde activated a state of emergency on August 12, unlocking crisis funds and declaring two days of national mourning for the lives lost. The World Bank provided $10 million for Cape Verde’s reconstruction, but across the region, resource constraints limit action. The AES’s August 9 Bamako forum put forward strategies to coordinate Sahel responses during natural disasters as part of its efforts to build its own capacity.
Experts urge climate-resilient solutions. The World Meteorological Organisation(WMO) recommends building better drains and planting more trees. Scientists predict that future floods could be 45% more severe. This means cities must update their infrastructure to prepare. For example, Cape Verde needs better radar systems to improve its weather forecasts. The Kampala Ministerial Declaration offers a framework for trans boundary river management, vital for shared basins like the Niger River.
West Africa’s flood crisis requires urgent action, regional commentators insist. They say governments must invest in flood-resistant infrastructure and early warning systems, as ACMAD’s forecasts need wider reach. Wealthier countries have been called upon to address the humanitarian funding gap, emphasised at COP29.
In Cape Verde, upgrading meteorological equipment is critical. Social protection programs can shield vulnerable households, according to World Bank proposals. Without these steps, environmentalists say, floods will worsen the current levels of poverty, hunger, and instability.
The severe floods in West Africa are a human-made challenge that has been made worse by climate change. Experts are demanding immediate action. They say governments must invest in better weather forecasts and stronger infrastructure to stop the region from sinking deeper into environmental crisis.
