Berlin, 15 October 2026: The Executive Secretary of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA), accompanied by a delegation of the Institution, met with the Partners of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) at its headquarters in Berlin. The meeting forms part of the dialogue and advocacy mission undertaken with the Authorities and Partners of the NBA in Germany and the Netherlands.

At the opening of the high-level dialogue, Ms. Elke Löbel, Deputy Director-General of the BMZ, commended both Parties for this initiative. She recalled the strategic role of the NBA in promoting regional cooperation and the integrated and sustainable management of the transboundary natural resources of the Niger Basin. She also reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Republic of Germany to strengthening its cooperation with the NBA, in view of the scale and diversity of the challenges to be addressed in the Basin.

The Executive Secretary, H.E. Mr. Armand Kocou HOUANYE, first expressed the NBA’s profound gratitude to the Government and people of Germany for their steadfast and growing support, which is deeply appreciated. He then stressed the imperative of moving forward together to consolidate achievements and strengthen this Cooperation.

For his part, the Chair of the Regional Coordination of Natural Resource Users, Mr. Nouradine Zakaria TOURE, welcomed Germany’s unwavering commitment and called for its continuation for the benefit of the populations of the Niger Basin.

This meeting provided a valuable opportunity to take stock of
- the achievements of the Cooperation between the NBA and the Federal Republic of Germany;
- the persistent, current and emerging challenges of the Niger Basin, which call for appropriate and sustainable responses from the NBA and its Partners;
- the priorities of the NBA Strategic Plan 2026–2030;
- the outcomes of the Regional Conference on Hydrodiplomacy, Gender and Structuring Investments for Peace, Stability and Shared Prosperity in the Transboundary Basins of Lake Chad and the Niger, held from 28 to 30 September in Abuja;
- the alignment of German Cooperation support to the NBA with the priorities of the nine Member States and the expectations of the more than 200 million inhabitants of the Niger Basin.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the two Parties reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening their cooperation and agreed in principle to the forthcoming signature of a Memorandum of Understanding setting out their joint priorities and actions over a five-year period.

This high-level dialogue ushers in an era of strengthened cooperation founded on dialogue, complementarity, and relevant, concrete actions with tangible impact.
NBA: For the concerted and sustainable management of water resources in the service of regional integration.

Group photo of the NBA and BMZ delegations