Floods across central and west Africa, particularly in Nigeria and Niger, have caused widespread destruction and affected hundreds of thousands. In Nigeria, over a million people in 15 states have been impacted, with Borno state seeing 400,000 displaced. Health facilities, schools, and farmlands have been submerged, raising fears of waterborne diseases like cholera. Heavy rains caused Borno’s Alau Dam to overflow, flooding homes and markets.
AI experts, like Musa Abdullahi Sufi, highlight the potential for AI in flood forecasting, using deep learning models to predict future floods and mitigate damage.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has increased aid efforts across the region, where floods have compounded the challenges posed by conflict. In Niger, floods have affected all eight regions, with over 400,000 people displaced, 265 dead, and critical infrastructure destroyed.
Patrick Youssef of the ICRC emphasized the difficulty of dealing with both conflict and climate disasters in the region, calling it a “compounding” crisis for already vulnerable communities.