Though the official transfer signature ceremony could not be done in Conakry, the related practical management aspects were discussed during a two- day workshop on 9 and 10 July 2018 in Conakry, Guinea.
The representatives of the African Union, the ECOWAS, FAO and other partners including GWP- WA, IUCN/PACO and Wetlands International as well as RBOs took part in the meeting, which they all said to be very important.
According to Mr. Almamy Dampha, senior policy officer of the UA said that the workshop is the beginning of the implementation of the transfer. To justify this transfer, he said that “the closer you are to the ground, the better and more efficient you are in terms of programmes implementation”. The programme, Mr. Dampha said, is very important for West Africa since the Fouta Djallon Highlands is a heritage for the region.
Mr. Wilson Ibrahim Babatundé, Director of ECOWAS Water Resources Coordination Center (WRCC) said this programme is anchored at the WRCC as a unit but that could be a separate entity with its own structure in Conakry. Eight out of fifteen ECOWAS countries are directly concerned by the Fouta Djallon programme and “we will make sure everybody including all the river basin organizations are involved to make the programme a success”.
GWP WA chair, Prof. Amadou Hama MAIGA and the Communication and Knowledge Management Officer, Mr. Sidi COULIBALY took part in the workshop.