The challenge:The Niger basin is the largest in western Africa and the Niger is Africa’s third longest river (4,200 km). The drainage basin is 2,117,700 km2 in area (ten times as large as the Rhine basin), is spread over nine countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger und Nigeria) and is home to more than 160 million people. High population growth combined with the impact of climate change and changes in land use are putting increasing pressure on the water resources, which are already unevenly distributed. Poor people are particularly affected by these developments that put their human right to food and water at risk.
Our approach: The aim of the project is to support member states in the sustainable and cooperative management and development of water resources in the Niger basin based on shared principles and joint strategies. The Niger Basin Authority (NBA), which was created for this purpose, will therefore be supported by the project in the form of capacity development to enable it to play an effective role in managing transboundary water resources.

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