THIS STUDY EXPLORES THE INEQUALITIES AND CHALLENGES IN ACCESS TO DRINKING WATER IN WEST AFRICA, FOCUSING ON THE DISPARITIES BETWEEN SAHELIAN AND COASTAL COUNTRIES. IT USES A MULTI-METHOD STATISTICAL APPROACH COMBINING PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS (PCA) AND FACTOR ANALYSIS OF MIXED DATA (FAMD) TO ANALYZE THE INFLUENCE OF GEOGRAPHICAL, SOCIO-ECONOMIC, AND SECURITY FACTORS ON WATER ACCESSIBILITY. KEY OBJECTIVES • ASSESS HOW CLIMATE, SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS (HDI, POVERTY, POPULATION GROWTH), AND SECURITY AFFECT WATER ACCESS. • COMPARE SAHELIAN COUNTRIES (E.G., NIGER, MALI, BURKINA FASO) TO COASTAL NATIONS (E.G., GHANA, CÔTE D’IVOIRE, BENIN). • IDENTIFY PRIORITY AREAS FOR POLICY INTERVENTION TO PROMOTE EQUITABLE ACCESS. MAIN FINDINGS • GEOGRAPHIC DISPARITIES: SAHELIAN COUNTRIES FACE SEVERE WATER STRESS DUE TO ARID CLIMATES AND LIMITED INFRASTRUCTURE, WHILE COASTAL COUNTRIES HAVE MORE RESOURCES BUT STILL STRUGGLE WITH URBAN-RURAL INEQUALITIES. • SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS: LOW HDI CORRELATES WITH POOR ACCESS TO WATER AND HIGHER MORTALITY FROM UNSAFE SOURCES. POVERTY AND HIGH POPULATION GROWTH STRAIN EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE. • URBANIZATION: WHILE IT RAISES WATER DEMAND AND STRESS, IT ALSO IMPROVES INFRASTRUCTURE AND ACCESS IN CITIES. • SECURITY: CONFLICTS IN THE SAHEL DAMAGE INFRASTRUCTURE, DISPLACE COMMUNITIES, AND EXACERBATE INEQUALITIES. • STATISTICAL INSIGHTS: PCA AND FAMD REVEAL STRONG CLUSTERING BY SECURITY LEVEL AND DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS, WITH COUNTRIES LIKE CAPE VERDE STANDING OUT POSITIVELY, AND NIGER AND BURKINA FASO FACING THE MOST CRITICAL CHALLENGES. RECOMMENDATIONS • INVEST IN RESILIENT WATER INFRASTRUCTURE (ESPECIALLY IN SAHELIAN AREAS). • STRENGTHEN GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT POLICIES TO IMPROVE HDI. • PROMOTE CLIMATE ADAPTATION STRATEGIES LIKE RAINWATER HARVESTING. • FOSTER REGIONAL COOPERATION ON TRANSBOUNDARY WATER MANAGEMENT. CONCLUSION ACCESS TO DRINKING WATER IN WEST AFRICA IS SHAPED BY COMPLEX, INTERLINKED FACTORS. BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN SAHELIAN AND COASTAL COUNTRIES REQUIRES INTEGRATED, MULTI-SECTORAL STRATEGIES THAT ADDRESS INFRASTRUCTURE, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, AND GOVERNANCE TO ENSURE SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE WATER ACCESS.

This is my final project for a course titled: Data Visualisation with R.