doi: 10.18178/ijesd.2026.17.4.1598
Current Situation of Pesticide Use and Its Impact on Aquatic Ecosystems and Fish Resources in West Africa: A Systematic Review
Firmin Sere1,*
,
Inoussa Compaore1 ,
Sylvain Ilboudo2 ,
Salam Sawadogo1 ,
Frederic S. Bere1 ,
Aurélie Goutte3 ,
Hassan Bismark Nacro1
- 1Laboratory for the Study and Research of Soil Fertility and Production Systems (LERF-SP), Nazi BONI University, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- 2Institute for Health Sciences Research, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- 3UMR 7619 METIS, Practical School of Advanced Studies (École Pratique des Hautes Études, EPHE), PSL University, Paris, France
- Manuscript receivedJanuary 29, 2026
- revisedMarch 31, 2026
- acceptedApril 16, 2026
- publishedAugust 23, 2026
Abstract
West Africa is a major consumer of pesticides used in agriculture, healthcare, and industry, raising growing concerns about freshwater ecosystem contamination. This review aims to (i) highlight research gaps regarding pesticide contamination in West African freshwater ecosystems to inform ecological risk assessment and environmental management, and (ii) summarize current knowledge on pesticide occurrence, affected fish species, and organ-specific impacts. A systematic search of Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA), and PubMed identified 121 relevant studies, predominantly from Nigeria (37.2%), Benin (21.5%), and Ghana (19.8%). Organochlorine pesticides dominated reported contamination (51%), followed by organophosphates (9%) and pyrethroids (2%). Residue concentrations ranged from non-detectable to 80.1 µg/L in water and from non-detectable to 84.1 µg/g in fish tissues (Dry weight), frequently exceeding international Maximum Residue Limits. Bioaccumulation in liver, gills, and muscle was consistently associated with histopathological damage, raising concerns for aquatic biodiversity and food safety. Critical knowledge gaps include the near-total absence of studies from Sahelian river basins (the upper Niger, Senegal, and Volta rivers), the lack of long-term time-series data that prevents trend analysis, and the absence of harmonized biomarker protocols across studies, which limits cross-regional comparisons. Recommended actions include banning persistent organochlorine compounds still in use in violation of the Stockholm Convention, establishing a regional monitoring network under the Economic Community of West African States with standardized sampling and biomarker protocols, and prioritizing surveillance in rapidly expanding agricultural areas such as Burkina Faso, where pesticide imports have increased substantially in recent years.
Keywords
- persistent organic pollutants
- pesticide contamination
- freshwater fish
- bioaccumulation
- West Africa
How to Cite
Firmin Sere, Inoussa Compaore, Sylvain Ilboudo, Salam Sawadogo, Frederic S. Bere, Aurélie Goutte, and Hassan Bismark Nacro, "Current Situation of Pesticide Use and Its Impact on Aquatic Ecosystems and Fish Resources in West Africa: A Systematic Review," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 376-385, 2026. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijesd.2026.17.4.1598
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).