Stockholm, 26th August, 2026 – On the sidelines of World Water Week 2026, the Delegation of the Executive Secretariat of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) held discussions with the Delegation of the Executive Secretariat of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC). A working session gathering members of both Delegations and their GIZ partners was held on the preparations of the forthcoming high-level Regional Meeting on Hydrodiplomacy, Gender and structuring investments in Transboundary Basins.

The discussions focused on:
- The preparatory process, the format, participants, the role of institutional stakeholders and the expected results and impacts of the high-level Regional Meeting, and;
- The need to make hydrodiplomacy a catalyst for transforming hydrological interdependencies into structuring investment opportunities that generate shared benefits for riparian countries in Transboundary Basins.

This meeting falls in line with the partnership already existing between the NBA and the LCBC. It aims to strengthen synergies around shared challenges linked to regional cooperation, hydrodiplomacy and structuring investments in Transboundary Basins.

Participants highlighted the importance for each TBO to have a consolidated priority investment portfolio, developed in advance, which is going to be presented for further brainstorming, refinement and approval by participants and partners at the high-level Regional Meeting.

For both the NBA and the LCBC, this approach reflects a clear strategic direction: to make transboundary cooperation through hydrodiplomacy a driver of structuring investments for water security, peace, resilience and shared prosperity, for the benefit of member countries and their populations.