The Council of Ministers of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) held its 44th Ordinary Session on December 5, 2025, in Ouagadougou. This strategic meeting focused on institutional revitalization, enhancing financial transparency, and strengthening cooperation among the nine member countries.

The Ordinary Session was chaired by Mr. Roger BARO, Minister of Environment, Water, and Sanitation of Burkina Faso, who serves as the NBA Supervising Minister in Burkina Faso and Chairman of the NBA Council of Ministers. The meeting was convened as part of the ongoing institutional revitalization process for our common institution, aligning with the reaffirmed commitment and guidelines of the Heads of State and Government of the nine NBA member countries. This commitment aims to achieve two key objectives: undertake essential institutional transformations to ensure the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) is sovereign and effective in planning and implementing its interventions; and advance national and trans-boundary priorities for integrated, sustainable, resilient, and inclusive development related to water and other natural resources in the Niger Basin.

Effective high-level mobilization of member countries, development partners, and other stakeholders

Ministerial delegations from all nine member countries - Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad were in attendance at this strategic meeting.

Also in attendance at the 44th Ordinary Session of the NBA Council of Ministers were: (i) Technical and Financial Partners (TFPs), including the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Burkina Faso, GIZ, the Water Resources Management Centre (CGRE) of the Economic Community of West African States, the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), the Volta Basin Authority (ABV), the Mono Basin Authority (ABM), the Global Water Partnership in West Africa (GWP/WA), the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), Wetlands International, Dam Agencies (Kainji-Jebba, Kandadji, Taoussa), Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd, as well as (ii) other stakeholders from the Kadiogo Region and the Special Delegation of the Commune of Ouagadougou, the Regional Coordinating Unit of Users of the Niger Basin’s Natural Resources (RCU), the National Coordinating Unit of Users of the Niger Basin’s Natural Resources (NCU) of Burkina Faso, the Technical Committee of
Experts (TCE), the External Auditors of NBA accounts, the Consultants responsible for updating the Administrative, Financial, and Accounting Procedures Manual and the Procurement Regulations, the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan, the 2026-2030 Operational Plan, and Staff of the NBA Executive Secretariat.

This strong, high-level mobilization confirms the clear and reaffirmed commitment of political leaders, supported by Development Partners and other stakeholders, to address the major development challenges in the Niger Basin related to: (i) resilience and adaptation to climate change, (ii) reducing human pressures on natural resources, and (iii) sustainability of water resources and associated ecosystems, (iv) restoring and preserving ecosystems, (v) guaranteeing public safety and security, (vi) establishing blue and green job opportunities for the Basin’s population (over 180 million inhabitants), especially for youth, (vii) planning and implementing transformative structural investments related to water that are of common interest to the member countries.

A Official Opening Ceremony Focused on Solidarity, Sovereignty, and Performance

In his opening address, Mr. Roger BARO, Chairman of the Council of Ministers, highlighted the strategic significance of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA), defining it as ‘’a space for solidarity, a diplomatic framework, and lever for regional cohesion’’. He subsequently emphasized the critical need for a coordinated response to the security, environmental, and social challenges within the Basin. The Chairman also welcomed the appointment of the new Executive Secretary, Kocou Armand HOUANYE, on July 24, 2025, and he reaffirmed the strong support and commitment of the Chairman of the NBA Summit of Heads of State and Government, His Excellency Captain Ibrahim TRAORE, President of Burkina Faso, and his entire government, to the Institution. He stressed the importance of the timely payment of financial contributions by member countries to NBA’s annual operating budget. He encouraged the swift operationalization of the Regional Climate Change Adaptation Fund (RCCAF/NB).

A Renewed Vision for Optimizing NBA performance

This Ordinary Session is part of the ongoing revitalization process for a high-performing and better-governed NBA, initiated in late July 2025 with the appointment of Executive Secretary, Mr. Kocou Armand HOUANYE. Its objectives include: (i) planning major regional water-related infrastructure investments; (ii) significantly increasing major water-related infrastructure investments across the Basin, drawing on the successful experiences of other Trans-boundary Basin Organizations (TBOs); (iii) ensuring the equitable representation of the nine countries within the Executive Secretariat and the Regional Coordinating Unit for NBA programmes and projects; (iv) increasing the mobilization of financial resources, including domestic resources secured from within the Basin; and (v) modernizing the management and monitoring tools for water resources and associated ecosystems to support informed decision-making throughout the Basin.

The Chairman of the Council of Ministers stated that “Each member country must perceive the existence of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA), through equitable access to the benefits of the concrete and visible investments made by NBA in the Niger Basin.”

The Executive Secretary, Mr. Kocou Armand HOUANYE, reiterated his sincere gratitude to the Heads of State and Government, and to the Ministers, for the confidence placed in him to lead the NBA Executive Secretariat. He also commended the willingness of member countries to support the ongoing reforms, as well as the professionalism displayed by the Technical Committee of Experts (TCE) in preparing the documents for the Council of Ministers. Additionally, he expressed his deep gratitude to the Technical and Financial Partners for their strong commitment to increasing their already significant support for the NBA’s missions across the nine national territories of the Niger Basin.

Mr. HOUANYE shared the main action areas of his mandate, consolidated within the Niger Basin Authority’s 2026-2030 Strategic and Operational Plans, which aim to transform challenges into levers for regional interventions by the NBA in the Niger Basin. These areas include: (i) Planning and implementation of structural investments to ensure water security in the Niger Basin; (ii) Restoring and preserving ecosystems; (iii) Ensuring effective governance of the NBA; and (iv) Promoting innovative and sustainable mechanisms for NBA action to ensure its institutional and financial visibility. The Executive Secretary reaffirmed his commitment to leading the NBA with rigour, transparency, and focusing on delivering expected results in service to the resilient people of the Basin.

Major Resolutions Adopted for a Shared and Prosperous Future in the Basin

The 44th Ordinary Session of the NBA Council of Ministers concluded with the adoption of ten key resolutions related to the following areas:
- Adoption of the Executive Secretary’s report as at 30th September, 2025;
- Adoption of the External Auditors’ reports on the NBA Executive Secretariat’s accounting and financial management for FY 2024;
- Adoption of the Financial Controller’s reports on the implementation of the NBA Executive Secretariat’s FY 2024 budget and FY 2025 budget as at 30th June 2025;
- Adoption of the revised NBA Administrative, Financial and Accounting Procedural Manual and Procurement Regulations of the NBA Executive Secretariat;
- Adoption of the NBA 2013-2022 Strategic Plan (SP) evaluation results and the new NBA 2026-2030 SP;
- Adoption of the NBA 2026 - 2030 Strategic Plan (SP) and Operational Plan;
- adoption of the NBA 2026 Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWPB);
- The Water Resilience and Enhancement Development Programme, NBA Component (DREVE/NBA);
- The speeding of the implementation of the Programme for Integrated Development and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Niger Basin (PIDACC/NB);
- Capacity building of the NBA Executive Secretariat.

These guidelines pave the way for strengthened governance and improved institutional, organizational, and financial performance of the NBA.

Towards a Sovereign and Resilient Niger Basin Authority (NBA) Focused on Improving the Well-being of the Niger Basin’s People

With the holding of its 44th Ordinary Session, the NBA Council of Ministers reaffirmed the shared commitment of the nine member countries to building an institution for regional cooperation and integration that is: (i) transparent in its management, (ii) effective in implementing its programmes, (iii) sovereign in mobilizing the resources required for its operation, and (iv) inclusive in addressing the needs of the people.

The member countries issued a solemn appeal to partners to support NBA’s efforts in protecting the natural resources of the Niger Basin and improving the living conditions of its more than 180 million inhabitants.

The 45th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers will be held in Abidjan, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, in the fourth quarter of 2026.