Transboundary water projects in the Niger Basin will get 20 million euros from Germany.
The German government has promised 20 million euros in 2024 to help the countries of the Niger Basin manage their shared water supplies and adapt to the effects of climate change.
Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Benin, Guinea, Mali, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Nigerien all make up the NBA’s nine member states.
At the start of the NBA Regional Steering Committee of Projects and Programmes on Tuesday in Abuja, German Ambassador Annette Guenther made this announcement.
She claims that beginning in 2017, Germany’s German Development Collaboration and institutions like GIZ, which are dedicated to regional and international collaboration, have begun providing assistance to NBA member countries.
Guenther, who was represented by Matthias Dold, stated that organising and keeping track of the basins’ combined resources was not a simple undertaking.
She noted that over 4 million euros had been invested in various climate change adaptation methods in the region and emphasised the importance of regional cooperation.
For improved coordination between member countries, the German government has provided 4 million euros to the NBA every year since 2017, and a new project is set to launch in 2024 with a budget of 20 million euros.
She explained that this was done so that people may make the most efficient use of water despite the effects of climate change.
Prof. Joseph Utsev, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, added that successes in the Niger Basin were consistent with the plan to reduce poverty and food insecurity.
He claims that the countries in the Niger Basin invest heavily to protect their shared natural resources and advance their economies and societies.
Utsev cited the NBA’s history as an illustration of the shift from nation-centered to transnational perspectives on resource management.
“In fact, the Niger Basin Authority Member Countries made a bold step forward by demonstrating their genuine political resolve to further form cooperation around the Niger River.
In light of the shifting conditions in our basin, he urged us to provide useful results that would help bring about the many programmes and programmes for the benefit of our people.
The minister thanked the NBA Technical and Financial Partners for their support, asking them to continue to strive for the well-being of the people of the Niger Basin.
NBA Executive Secretary Abderahim Hamid thanked the Nigerian government for its dedication and financial support during his speech.
Authorities in the basin, he said, are most concerned with concerns related to the management and protection of natural resources, especially water resources.
He cited the recent development of various methods and technologies by the NBA and its partners as proof that integrated water resources management is feasible.
According to him, the project’s implementation has educated 470 technical specialists from NBA member countries on how to use satellite-based climate data and information for policymaking.
Hamid said that the NBA has educated 700 national water stakeholders on the importance of avoiding flood and drought-related risks and tragedies.
He did, however, express concern about the NBA’s censure and the difficulty of political turmoil in the Niger Republic, urging political actors to comprehend the authority’s vision in light of the fact that it was nonpartisan.
He argued that some nations should lift their bans on the NBA since “we are merely working for the betterment of the population.”
In 1964, nine countries came together to form the NBA in an effort to conserve the Niger Basin’s ecosystem, foster cooperation among member countries, and guarantee integrated development of the basin.
Degradation of natural resources, increased water and wind erosion, and river silting are all blamed on the decades-long trend of decreasing water flows.