On the sidelines of the ‘‘African Water Forum: From Vision to Action”, held in N’Djamena (Chad) on 15th and 16th July, 2026, His Excellency Kocou Armand HOUANYE, the Executive Secretary of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA), held talks with the Nigerian Delegation, led by Professor Joseph Terlumun Utsev, the Honourable Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the NBA Supervising Minister in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The NBA Executive Secretary and the NBA Supervising Minister in the Federal Republic of Nigeria
The meeting, which took place in a very warm and friendly atmosphere, was an opportunity for the two dignitaries to discuss the life of our Institution, the NBA.
At the start of the meeting, the NBA Executive Secretary extended his courtesies to the Honourable Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He expressed his gratitude both for the Minister’s exceptional leadership and for his strategic support to the NBA’s activities in general, and for the acceleration of the implementation of the Programme for Integrated Development and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Niger Basin (PIDACC/NB) in Nigeria, in particular. Commending the progress made and the future prospects, the NBA Executive Secretary took the opportunity to highlight a major challenge: that of securing a post-PIDACC/NB initiative, with significant support from the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group and its partners, with a view to consolidating and scaling up the achievements made, on the one hand, and to addressing current and emerging challenges in ensuring water security, climate resilience, shared prosperity and peace in the Niger Basin, on the other hand.
The Executive Secretary also briefed the NBA Supervising Minister in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his Delegation on certain major upcoming activities, in particular in the forthcoming NBA Summit of Heads of State and Government (SHSG), the 45th Ordinary Session of the NBA Council of Ministers, the imminent launch of the physical construction works of the NBA Headquarters in Niamey, and the 2026 Session of the NBA Regional Steering Committee of Projects and Programmes (RSC) in Abuja (Federal Republic of Nigeria).
In turn, Professor Joseph Terlumun Utsev, in his capacity as the NBA Supervising Minister in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, confirmed his willingness to continue and enhance his strategic support to the NBA. In this vein, he expressed his satisfaction at the choice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to host the proceedings of the 2026 Session of the NBA/RSC, as well as several other regional workshops scheduled to take place as side events to that Session. Accordingly, he reaffirmed his Ministry’s commitment to ensuring the smooth conduct of those regional meetings, which are of great importance to our common Institution. The NBA Supervising Minister in the Federal Republic of Nigeria also emphasised the importance of holding regular Sessions of the Summit of Heads of State and Government, the sole decision-making body for the NBA’s effective and efficient governance.
The two prominent figures parted ways, commending the relevance and regular holding of such exchanges, which can help countries to be better informed about the life of the common Institution, the NBA, of which they are members.
