Figure 3 shows the detailed map of soil and terrain suitability for surface irrigation per type of crop as a result of the above methodology. Tables 4 and 5 give the extent of suitable land for both types of crops per major basin group and per country respectively. Figure 4 shows the total area of land (rice plus upland crops) suitable for surface irrigation as a percentage of the total area of each of the 24 major basin groups, Figure 5 as a percentage of the area of each of the 53 African countries. As the figures show, the land in the northern part and the southern desert zones is less suitable for surface irrigation than in the rest of Africa.
TABLE 4: Soil and terrain suitability for surface irrigation by major basin group
Basin No. (0) |
Area in ha Major Basin group (1) |
Total area of the basin group (2) |
Soil suitable for irrigation of rice (4)* |
Soil suitable area of for irrigation of upland crops (5)* |
Total area of soils suitable for surface irrigation (6) |
As % of total area of basin 100* (6)/(2) |
01 |
SENEGAL RIVER |
48 318 100 |
3 491 200 |
154 600 |
3 645 800 |
8 |
02 |
NIGER RIVER |
227 394 600 |
28 430 300 |
513 100 |
28 943 400 |
13 |
03 |
LAKE CHAD |
238 163 500 |
31 937 700 |
4 586 900 |
36 524 600 |
15 |
04 |
NILE |
311 236 900 |
88 784 000 |
3 235 000 |
92 019 000 |
30 |
05 |
RIFT VALLEY |
63 759 300 |
11 958 800 |
1 987 900 |
13 946 700 |
22 |
06 |
SHEBELLI-JUBA |
81 042 700 |
12 875 700 |
12 972 200 |
25 847 900 |
32 |
07 |
CONGO/ZAIRE RIVER |
378 905 300 |
108 785 600 |
1 029 900 |
109 815 500 |
29 |
08 |
ZAMBEZI |
135 136 500 |
37 345 600 |
286 900 |
37 632 500 |
28 |
09 |
OKAVANGO |
32 319 200 |
6 476 500 |
135 600 |
6 612 100 |
20 |
10 |
LIMPOPO |
40 186 400 |
8 987 100 |
749 000 |
9 736 100 |
24 |
11 |
ORANGE |
89 636 800 |
9 783 200 |
408 300 |
10 191 500 |
11 |
12 |
SOUTH INTERIOR |
64 582 600 |
18 630 900 |
739 900 |
19 370 800 |
30 |
13 |
NORTH INTERIOR |
580 446 300 |
18 242 300 |
30 083 400 |
48 325 700 |
8 |
14 |
MEDITERRANEAN COAST |
67 952 500 |
7 785 800 |
4 111 900 |
11 897 700 |
18 |
15 |
NORTH WEST COAST |
67 062 100 |
5 375 500 |
7 189 700 |
12 565 200 |
19 |
16 |
WEST COAST |
143 019 600 |
26 329 000 |
3 237 600 |
29 567 400 |
21 |
17 |
WEST CENTRAL COAST |
70 477 400 |
16 292 000 |
36 400 |
16 328 400 |
23 |
18 |
SOUTH WEST COAST |
51 620 000 |
10 665 200 |
3 127 300 |
13 792 500 |
27 |
19 |
SOUTH ATLANTIC COAST |
36 548 500 |
2 201 600 |
1 840 300 |
4 041 900 |
11 |
20 |
INDIAN OCEAN COAST |
66 378 500 |
13 569 400 |
1 282 900 |
14 852 000 |
22 |
21 |
EAST CENTRAL COAST |
102 625 200 |
23 733 300 |
1 108 700 |
24 842 000 |
24 |
22 |
NORTH EAST COAST |
72 570 200 |
6 044 400 |
5 734 700 |
11 779 100 |
16 |
23 |
MADAGASCAR |
58 704 000 |
14 138 900 |
358 500 |
14 497 400 |
25 |
24 |
ISLANDS |
934 600 |
134 100 |
50 400 |
184 500 |
20 |
Total for Africa |
3 029 020 800 |
511 998 900 |
84 961 100 |
596 960 000 |
20 |
* In order to be able to add up the figures of soil and terrain suitability for rice and upland crops, it was decided that priority be given to rice where the suitability was the same for both crops.
TABLE 5: Soil and terrain suitability for surface irrigation by country
Area in ha Country (1) |
Total area of the country (2) |
Soil suitable for irrigation of rice (3)* |
Soil suitable for irrigation of upland crops (4)* |
Total area of soils suitable for surface irrigation (5) |
As % of total area of country(5/2)* 100 (6) |
ALGERIA |
238 174 000 |
8 482 900 |
19 467 600 |
27 950 500 |
12 |
ANGOLA |
124 670 000 |
22 796 600 |
4 187 500 |
26 984 100 |
22 |
BENIN |
11 262 000 |
3 738 600 |
0 |
3 738 600 |
33 |
BOTSWANA |
58 173 000 |
13 189 400 |
5 400 |
13 194 800 |
23 |
BURKINA FASO |
27 400 000 |
5 438 000 |
0 |
5 438 000 |
20 |
BURUNDI |
2 783 400 |
302 100 |
286 700 |
588 800 |
21 |
CAMEROON |
47 544 000 |
11 784 600 |
26 800 |
11 811 400 |
25 |
CAPE VERDE |
403 000 |
9 900 |
39 000 |
48 900 |
12 |
CENTRAL AFRICAN REP. |
62 298 000 |
7 704 500 |
0 |
7 704 500 |
12 |
CHAD |
128 400 000 |
20 589 200 |
5 077 500 |
25 666 700 |
20 |
COMOROS |
186 100 |
16 900 |
0 |
16 900 |
9 |
CONGO |
34 200 000 |
9 257 600 |
45 600 |
9 303 200 |
27 |
COTE D'IVOIRE |
32 246 200 |
4 545 300 |
1 050 700 |
5 596 000 |
17 |
DJIBOUTI |
2 320 000 |
246 100 |
50 600 |
296 700 |
13 |
EGYPT |
100 145 000 |
6 477 400 |
655 900 |
7 133 300 |
7 |
EQUATORIAL GUINEA |
2 805 000 |
919 000 |
0 |
919 000 |
33 |
ERITREA |
12 189 000 |
1 703 000 |
2 565 400 |
4 268 400 |
35 |
ETHIOPIA |
110 001 000 |
20 918 100 |
9 418 300 |
30 336 400 |
28 |
GABON |
26 767 000 |
5 816 000 |
0 |
5 816 000 |
22 |
GAMBIA |
1 130 000 |
495 100 |
0 |
495 100 |
44 |
GHANA |
23 854 000 |
5 684 500 |
5 000 |
5 816 000 |
24 |
GUINEA |
24 585 700 |
3 980 100 |
473 900 |
4 454 000 |
18 |
GUINEA BISSAU |
3 612 000 |
603 700 |
0 |
603 700 |
17 |
KENYA |
58 037 000 |
11 405 600 |
5 979 100 |
17 384 700 |
30 |
LESOTHO |
3 035 000 |
652 000 |
0 |
652 000 |
21 |
LIBERIA |
9 775 000 |
1 129 200 |
1 036 200 |
2 165 400 |
22 |
LIBYA |
175 954 000 |
7 915 800 |
4 914 000 |
12 829 800 |
7 |
MADAGASCAR |
58 704 000 |
14 138 900 |
358 500 |
14 497 400 |
25 |
MALAWI |
11 848 000 |
2 467 200 |
0 |
2 467 200 |
21 |
MALI |
124 019 000 |
9 939 600 |
202 200 |
10 141 800 |
8 |
MAURITANIA |
102 552 000 |
2 462 00 |
6 325 300 |
8 787 300 |
9 |
MAURITIUS |
204 000 |
29 000 |
0 |
29 000 |
14 |
MOROCCO + W. SAHARA |
71 250 000 |
6 622 800 |
7 813 400 |
14 436 200 |
20 |
MOZAMBIQUE |
80 159 000 |
17 432 000 |
983 700 |
18 415 700 |
23 |
NAMIBIA |
82 490 000 |
11 111 700 |
2 133 900 |
13 245 600 |
16 |
NIGER |
126 700 000 |
3 476 000 |
86 100 |
3 562 100 |
3 |
NIGERIA |
92 377 000 |
18 080 700 |
317 900 |
18 398 600 |
20 |
RWANDA |
2 634 000 |
220 600 |
80 300 |
300 900 |
11 |
SAO TOME & PRINCIPE |
96 000 |
10 700 |
0 |
10 700 |
11 |
SENEGAL |
19 672 000 |
2 742 500 |
290 200 |
3 032 700 |
15 |
SEYCHELLES |
45 500 |
||||
SIERRA LEONE |
7 174 000 |
985 000 |
724 500 |
1 709 500 |
24 |
SOMALIA |
63 766 000 |
8 361 500 |
4 427 600 |
12 789 100 |
20 |
SOUTH AFRICA |
122 104 000 |
21 434 600 |
1 163 600 |
22 598 200 |
19 |
SUDAN |
250 581 000 |
66 955 100 |
1 814 100 |
68 769 200 |
27 |
SWAZILAND |
1 736 400 |
339 500 |
0 |
339 500 |
20 |
TANZANIA |
94 509 000 |
23 344 700 |
908 700 |
24 253 400 |
26 |
TOGO |
5 678 500 |
1 114 700 |
0 |
1 114 700 |
20 |
TUNISIA |
16 361 000 |
1 625 500 |
1 227 900 |
2 853 400 |
17 |
UGANDA |
23 588 000 |
7 652 000 |
23 700 |
7 675 700 |
33 |
ZAIRE |
234 486 000 |
78 728 100 |
9 700 |
78 737 800 |
34 |
ZAMBIA |
75 261 000 |
26 540 700 |
2 4000 |
26 543 100 |
35 |
ZIMBABWE |
39 076 000 |
10 382 600 |
782 200 |
11 164 800 |
29 |
Total for Africa |
3 029 020 800 |
511 998 900 |
84 961 100 |
596 960 000 |
20 |
*In order to be able to sum the figures of soil and terrain suitability for rice end upland crops, it was decided that priority be given to rice where the suitability was the same for both crops. For this reason the figures given in column 4 must be considered as a lower limit for soil suitability to irrigated upland crops.
Figure 3: Soil and terrain suitability for surface irrigation
Figure 4: Extent of land suitable for surface irrigation (as % of basin area)
Figure 5: Extent of land suitable for surface irrigation (as % of country area)