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No fewer than 12 people have died after days of heavy rainfall triggered flooding and landslides in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
Belmonde Dogo, Cote d’Ivoire’s minister of social cohesion, said the continuous rainfall that began on the night of June 27 has left a trail of destruction across Abidjan and surrounding areas.
“The consequences of the continuous rainfall that has hit Abidjan and its surroundings since the night of June 27 are becoming clear,” Dogo said in a Facebook post.
She said more than a dozen deaths had been recorded in the Attecoube and Yopougon districts, including nine people from the same neighbourhood.
Videos and photographs shared on social media showed flooded roads, submerged vehicles, and neighbourhoods inundated by rising water.
Flooding is a recurring challenge in Abidjan, a city of more than six million people, where rapid urbanisation has fuelled the expansion of informal settlements in flood-prone communities.
The latest disaster comes as several coastal West African countries grapple with widespread flooding driven by heavy rainfall.
In Ghana, at least 13 people were killed after torrential rains triggered severe flooding in parts of Accra, the capital, disrupting transport, submerging homes, and forcing residents to flee affected communities.
Nigeria is also experiencing widespread flooding, with heavy rainfall inundating parts of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Abia, Cross River, Delta, and other states. Roads have become impassable in several locations, vehicles have been submerged, homes flooded, and thousands of commuters stranded.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) had earlier warned of above-normal rainfall and flash flooding in several states during the 2026 rainy season, while the federal government also identified dozens of states as being at risk of flooding.
The recurring floods across the region have renewed concerns over the growing impacts of climate change, poor urban planning, inadequate drainage infrastructure, and the increasing vulnerability of densely populated settlements to extreme weather events.
