Environment
In the Niger Basin, Countries Collaborate on Hydropower,
Irrigation and Improved Water Resource Management
schemes,
and
navigation
facilities can help reduce poverty
and boost shared prosperity
in the Niger Basin countries.
These types of investments
can contribute significantly to
economic growth, food security,
climate resilience, and improved
livelihoods – and experience in
other basins across Africa has
shown that these investments
can be more successful if
they are based on cooperative,
collective action facilitated by a
dedicated organization such as
the NBA.
T
he Niger River is one of the few perennial sources of
water in the arid and semi-arid lands of Africa’s Sahel
region. For thousands of years, the river has supported
communities of farmers, cattle grazers, and fishermen.
Today, the Niger Basin is one of the most fragile developing
regions of the world, by any measure. Seven of the basin’s
10 countries are among the world’s poorest 20, with Niger
having the lowest Human Development Index in the
world. The threats of food insecurity and climate change
are compounded by civil unrest, terrorism, and the Ebola
crisis, all of which feed the vicious cycle of rural poverty
and insecurity in the region.
Despite these challenges, the countries of the Niger Basin
have developed one of the world’s most progressive river
management organizations, the Niger Basin Authority
(NBA), that supports a strong, cooperative legal framework
to govern water resources, and fosters collaboration on
potential investments among the countries with boundaries
on the river. The NBA is charged with ensuring that the
Niger River’s water usage makes sense for the whole basin
and benefits local communities.
Fostering Collective Action and
Informed Decision Making
As countries of the Basin show
Dominic Chavez/World Bank increasing interest in joint
planning and construction of
infrastructure, the demands on
the NBA and its role in coordinating member states and
promoting participatory design have expanded. To support
the NBA in its expanding role, the Niger River Basin
Management Project, a project approved by the World
Bank Group Board of Executive Directors in November
2014 and supported by the Cooperation in International
Waters in Africa program (CIWA), will help operationalize
the NBA’s mandate to promote cooperation among its nine
member countries as they develop and manage the Basin’s
resources.
The Niger River Basin Management Project will support
efforts to: (i) develop a more autonomous and sustainable
financial resource base for the NBA; (ii) improve the basinwide legal framework for enhanced coordination in the
operation of transboundary infrastructure; and (iii) facilitate
evidence-based and well-i