NIAMEY, March 12, 2026 – H.E. Abdou DIALLO, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Burkina Faso to the Republic of Niger, granted a diplomatic audience to H.E. Kocou Armand HOUANYE, the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) Executive Secretary. Accompanying the NBA Executive Secretary were: (i) Mrs. Aminata TRAORE BARRY, Accounting Officer, and (ii) Mr. KABORE Gérard, Head of Human Resources and General Administration Division.

Opening the audience, the Executive Secretary expressed his profound appreciation to the Ambassador for the exemplary cooperation between the Embassy of Burkina Faso in Niger and the NBA Executive Secretariat. Furthermore, he expressed his deep gratitude for the Ambassador’s steadfast support in monitoring the smooth operation of the Authority’s activities within the Burkina Faso part of the Niger Basin .

The audience provided a strategic opportunity for both officials to review activities and future outlook of the sub-regional Institution, that promotes regional cooperation among its nine (9) member States (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad), and to ensure the integrated and sustainable development in the shared Niger River Basin.

The NBA Executive Secretary seized the opportunity to formally convey, through the Ambassador, his profound gratitude to H.E. Capt. Ibrahim TRAORE, President of Burkina Faso and incumbent President of the NBA Summit of heads of State and Government, H.E. Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, and Commandant Ismaël SOMBIE, Minister of State in charge of Agriculture, Animal Resources and Fisheries of Burkina Faso, Chairman of the NBA Council of Ministers. He commended their unwavering political stewardship and strategic support, which remain essential for the good governance and the fulfillment of the

Mission assigned to the sub-regional organization.
The high-level exchange centered on the following areas of mutual interest:

- Burkina Faso’s exemplary performance in implementing the Programme for the Integrated Development and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Niger Basin (PIDACC/NB) and the imperative to sustain this implementation momentum through to the Programme’s formal closure on December 31, 2027;

- The NBA’s 2026 investment portfolio for Burkina Faso;

- The implementation of Resolution No. 10 of the 44th Ordinary Session of the NBA Council of Ministers of 5 December 2025 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The Resolution is on the recruitment of new staff for the Executive Secretariat by June 30, 2026;
- Burkina Faso’s exemplary discharge of its statutory contributions to the NBA Budget merits high commendation;

- The imminent commencement of the NBA Headquarters Construction Project, in strict adherence to Resolution No. 2 adopted by the Council of Ministers (CM) during its Extraordinary Virtual Session of November 7, 2025;

- The implementation of the Resolution No. 3 adopted by the NBA Council of Ministers during its virtual Extraordinary Session of 7 November 2025, on the organization of the 13th Summit Conference of Heads of State and Government of the NBA in 2026;

- The progress toward the establishment and operationalization of the Regional Climate Change Adaptation Fund in the Niger Basin (RCCAF/NB) as part of the implementation of the PIDACC/NB.

 
His Excellency Ambassador Abdou DIALLO, assisted by Mrs. H. A. Viviane ZOURE, Minister-Counselor, and Mr. Abdoulaye DABGO, Embassy Attaché, formally reaffirmed Burkina Faso's steadfast commitment – in its capacity as Chairs of the NBA Governing Bodies - to sustain and amplify the initiatives spearheaded by the Executive Secretary. Ambassador DIALLO underscored that this support remains a continuation of the exemplary cooperation established since the Executive Secretary’s assumption of office, and pledged to convey the Executive Secretariat’s message to the highest authorities of Burkina Faso.

Ultimately, this high-level encounter reaffirmed the shared commitment to strengthened regional cooperation promoting structuring investments for integrated, sustainable and resilient development in the Niger Basin.