INTRODUCTION - Sustainable Irrigation Development in the White Volta Sub-Basin - page 4

provide some specific recommendations for future irrigation investments
(Inocencio et al., 2007).
Irrigation development in sub-Saharan Africa started in the colonial era.
This was intensified in the period of decolonization and was motivated by
strong nation building (Siebert et al., 2002). Governments have been the
major investors in irrigation with assistance from international donor
agencies. Irrigation schemes developed by governments are mostly publicly
managed. Private involvement in irrigation development across sub-Saharan
Africa is also significant. There is a wide range of private-led irrigation
systems which have resulted in different management systems.
This study reviews irrigation development in sub-Saharan Africa, dating
from the colonial era till present. The review covers the types of irrigation
systems developed across sub-Saharan Africa and the trends of development
of these irrigation systems. It identifies the challenges that have been
associated with irrigation development with specific examples from some
irrigation systems. Success factors for sustainable irrigation development are
identified based on an analysis of various irrigation systems across sub-
Saharan Africa.
1.3 I RRIGATION D EVELOPMENT IN THE W HITE
V OLTA SUB - BASIN
The practice of traditional irrigated agriculture going back several centuries
in some arid regions south of the Sahara, the availability of significant water,
land, and labour resources in many areas, good and growing domestic and
regional export markets for irrigated food crops, and appropriate low-cost
manual and mechanized irrigation equipment promise a bright future for
irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa (Perry, 1997).
A typical example is the increasing vegetable irrigation observed in the
Upper East Region of Ghana and southern parts of Burkina Faso all in the
White Volta sub-basin. The demand for vegetables in the urban centres of
southern Ghana has triggered the upscaling of irrigation development in the
White Volta sub-basin during the past two decades. Studying this positive
development is expected to bring out some of the strategies that are needed
in boosting irrigation development across sub-Saharan Africa.
The study is conducted in three neighbouring transboundary catchments
located in the Upper East Region of Ghana and southern Burkina Faso. Six
different irrigation technologies are identified and researched in the study
area. Whereas small reservoirs and large reservoir irrigation schemes are well