Current Situation of Pesticide Use and Its Impact on Aquatic Ecosystems and Fish Resources in West Africa: A Systematic Review

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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.

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