Transboundary water management in the Niger basin

Context

With a length of 4,200 kilometres, the Niger River is the third longest river in Africa. More than 160 million people live in its basin. The Niger Basin Authority (NBA) was founded in 1964 to coordinate and jointly manage the resources of the Niger Basin. Its member countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d‘Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.

The NBA significantly enhances cooperation between the riparian states. It also contributes to alleviating development issues in the region; for example, improved water management can help to develop agricultural production that relies on irrigation systems. This enables higher yields and food supply for the population. Furthermore, the construction of dams contributes to energy and drinking water supply and improved flood management.

Legal regulations between the member countries of the NBA already form political, institutional and legal bases for stronger regional cooperation. However, its member countries are not yet realising the available potential fully. To date, there are only a few projects that jointly manage the transboundary water resources.

Objective

The NBA advises its member countries on how to jointly manage the transboundary water resources of the Niger basin in a climate-adapted manner. It manages the necessary processes successfully.

Approach

The project supports the NBA in completing the legal basis for transboundary cooperation between the member countries, the improvement of the early warning system and the development planning of water resources. For example, it develops joint work plans, advises on flood protection services from a strategic perspective and optimises the monitoring of finances. In this context, the project strengthens the competencies of the NBA and its member countries by organising regional training courses and workshops to improve transboundary water resource management in the Niger basin.

Last update: January 2025