H.E. Kocou Armand HOUANYE, the NBA Executive Secretary, leading a delegation from the Transfrontier Basin Organisation (TBO), visited the Headquarters of the West African Development Bank (BOAD) and the ECOWAS Investment and Development Bank (BIDC), both located in Lomé, Republic of Togo, on the afternoon of Thursday 19th and the morning of Friday 20th, February, 2026, respectively.

For the occasion, the NBA Executive Secretary was accompanied by: (i) Mr. Ibro ADAMOU, the Technical Director of the Executive Secretariat, and (ii) Mr. Seyni SEYDOU, the Regional Coordinator of the Programme for Integrated Development and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Niger Basin (PIDACC/NB 2019-2027).

H.E. Kocou Armand HOUANYE, the NBA Executive Secretary, was received in audience by Mr. Abdoulaye DAFFE, Vice-President of the BOAD, accompanied by three (3) of the Bank’s Directors in charge of: (i) Infrastructures and the Digital Economy, (ii) Agriculture and Agro-Industry, and (iii) Sustainable Development Financing.

After expressing his deep gratitude to the Vice-President of the West African Development Bank (BOAD) for the warm welcome extended to him and the members of his delegation, the Executive Secretary of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) stated the purpose of the meeting, which was to strengthen regional cooperation between BOAD and NBA in order to advance the integrated development priorities in the Niger Basin, which covers a significant part of the WAEMU region. Indeed, five (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Niger) of the eight member countries of BOAD are also members of the NBA, which comprises nine member countries.

The Executive Secretary, through the Vice-President, Mr Abdoulaye DAFFE, formally invited BOAD to join the NBA Partners’ Advisory Committee for supporting the financing of the implementation of the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan (SP), structured around four main areas, the first of which focuses on the implementation of regional structural investments for water security, climate resilience and sustainable development in the Niger Basin. The NBA Executive Secretary also took the opportunity to highlight NBA’s interest in benefiting from BOAD’ support in mobilising the resources needed to improve the navigability of the Niger River and its tributaries.

In turn, the Vice-President of BOAD reassured the Executive Secretary that the promotion of large regional investments for water security and sustainable and resilient socio-economic development in the Niger Basin fully falls in line with the priorities of his Institution for financing development. Taking the floor after the Vice-President, the various Directors of the Bank in attendance took turns to talk about possible areas of collaboration between BOAD and NBA, including:

- Silting control and improvement of the navigability of the Niger River and its tributaries;
- Development of water infrastructures;
- Adaptation to climate change, and;
- Restoration and preservation of the Niger Basin ecosystems.

Following the discussions, both Parties expressed their willingness to revive the regional cooperation that was previously initiated. To this end, each Party immediately appointed a Focal Point in order for them to work together on the following steps, taking into account the preparation of a large investment projects portfolio for the Niger Basin.

Before concluding, the Executive Secretary expressed his wish to see BOAD take part in the next Ordinary Session of the NBA Council of Ministers in the fourth quarter of 2026, and in the next meetings of the NBA Partners’ Advisory Committee. On his part, the Vice-President concluded by stating that the request for BOAD’s support to NBA has been well understood and that the Bank’s governing bodies and Experts are available for this purpose.

At the Investment and Development Bank of the Economic Community of West African States (EBID), H.E. Kocou Armand HOUANYE, the NBA Executive Secretary, was received on the morning of 20th February, 2026 by Mr. Manzamesso Charles TCHALLA-PALI, Director of the Institution’s Public Sector Operations Department, accompanied by his colleagues, including Mrs. Maimouna SIDIBE, Head of the Basic Infrastructures Division.

At the EBID, the NBA Executive Secretary, after expressing his sincere thanks to the Director of the Institution’s Public Sector Operations Department for the warm welcome extended to his delegation, briefly presented the Niger River Basin and the purpose and mission of the NBA, which comprises nine (9) member countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Chad) from West and Central Africa, and the Sahel. He then focused on the priorities consolidated in the NBA’s Strategic Plan (2026-2030 SP), which are structured around four (4) main areas:

- Large investments for water security in the Niger Basin;
- Restoration and preservation of ecosystems in the Niger Basin;
- NBA’s effective governance; and;
- Promotion of innovative and sustainable mechanisms for NBA’ action with a view to establishing and making operational the Regional Climate Change Adaptation Fund in the Niger Basin (RCCAF/NB) as part of the implementation of PIDACC/NB.

The Director of the Public Sector Operations Department expressed the EBID’s interest and willingness to formalise and implement a Framework Cooperation Agreement with the NBA on investments related to the priorities of the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan of the Transboundary Basin Organisation (OBT).

Before adjourning the meeting, each of the two Parties was asked to designate a Focal Point to very soon reach an agreement on a draft Framework Cooperation Agreement defining the priority areas for EBID’ support to the NBA, for the direct and indirect benefit of the more than 180 million inhabitants of the Niger Basin.