In the last decade, more than 22 million ha of land have been contracted to large-scale land acquisitions in Africa, leading to increased pressures, competition, and conflicts over freshwater resources. We use a dynamic global vegetation model to simulate water demand and crop yields for seven irrigation scenarios. We identified hotspots areas at risk for transgressing regional constraints for freshwater use as a result of overconsumption of irrigation water, where socioenvironmental systems might face increased conflicts and tensions over water resources.