This report describes a systematic framework for the analysis of long run investment needs in the water resources of the Sahel-Sudan region. The work was conducted as part of a larger project resulting from a contract between the United States Agency for International Development and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Policy Alternatives. Part\I of the report summarizes key literature and data on the region's water resources. Part\II includes descriptions and illustrative applications of two systems models that provide a framework for long run water resources planning in the region. Part\III contains a detailed description of a proposed planning process appropriate for the long term planning of the region's water resources.