The CWP Guinea was visited by a team of consultant working on the evolutions in the Senegal basin transboundary environemental diagnosis analysis developed in 2006 and the need for revising it. The discussions included also how the CWP could play a more active role in the second phase of the IWRM programme (PGIRE) of OMVS, the present state of the Senegal basin, present trends of hydrological data in the basin, the environmental degradation and the Gender mainstreaming.
A GWP delegation including the Coordinator, the Project manager and by the chair met with the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) Executive Secretary and some her colleagues on May 10, 2016. The discussions focused on how to start the implementation of the framework agreement for the promotion of political dialogue in the Mékrou tranboundary river basin signed in December 2015 by the three countries. To start with it was sugggested that the issue be included in the agenda of the next NBA council of ministers.
One of the key IDMP actions in West Africa is the establishment of the national platforms in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and at regional level. These platforms will be used to discuss issues related to the integrated drought management. In Niger a meeting held on November 5 to set up the national platform on Integrated Drought Management (GIS) in the country. The finalization of the project document for the institutional framework of PGIS Niger was also discussed.
The ministers in charge of water of Benin, Burkina and Niger have signed on 22 December 2015 in Cotonou, Benin the framework agreement of cooperation for the promotion of political dialogue and sustainable development of the Mékrou basin, an affluent of the Niger River shared by the three countries.
The general objective of this Cooperation Framework Agreement is to promote political dialogue and sustainable development of the three states in order to facilitate good governance in the planning and the integrated and sustainable management of the natural resources of the Mekrou Transboundary sub-basin, taking into account socio-economic needs, food security, poverty reduction through the preservation, the conservation of ecosystems and the improvement of the living conditions of local communities.
Ms Christine GBEDJI VYAHO, Benin Minister of Water
In Burkina Faso, the work is in progress on the second site in the village of Komki after the first one was abandoned because of some land dispute in the village of Baragho. These works include establishing the topographical boundaries of the site, training of beneficiaries by the CWP Project officer for the materialization of the fence, installation of the fence and mobilization of beneficiaries for digging holes.
The IDMP Waf team is preparing the capacity building workshop to be held in Ouagadougou from 4 to 8 Avril 2016 in Burkina Faso. This planned training of trainers (ToT) has been possible with the collaboration of CAPNET and aims at contrinuting to reduce the negative impacts of drought through some approaches like IWRM and effective planning. It will increase participants knowledge on these topics and come out with a monitoring tool. About twenty participants will take part drawn from administration, NGOs, Civil Society and private sector institutions of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, the three pilot targeted countries of IDMP and some regional institutions in West Africa.
For more on IDMP WAF: felicite.vodounhessi@gwpao.org
The 11th edition of the Festival on the Niger was held from 4 to 8 February 2015 in Segou, Mali. This cultural event on the Niger River has become one of the flagship events of Mali. The theme for this year was "Culture and Employment: What cultural industry for Africa?». The night of the balafon, Festival on the Niger over the river, cultural caravan for peace, concerts on the river, the Segou symposium, professional artistic encounters, visual arts, theater and dance, international fair of Segou, Boromo of puppets Burkina Faso and the assistance of culinary art. These were the main activities that marked this event.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day (8 March), We have interviewed Mrs Hadja KORA ZAKI Mariame, the Chair of the National Association of users of the natural resources of the River Niger Basin in Benin (ANU-Benin) in the department of Atacora in the Northwest of the country.
The elaboration of the study on the "Identification of development priorities in the Mékrou transboundary basin" in each country (Benin, Burkina and Niger) with workshops for the restitution and validation has been delayed because of some practical issues. The contracts were signed with some delay with each consultants and some national issues linked to the political and social situation couldn’t allow work to go on correctly.
The below links are suggested reading materials for participants in the International Water Law training in Kampala, Uganda, 5-12 June 2016.