By Gabriel Ewepu
ABUJA — Nigeria has called for increased public and private investment in the Niger and Lake Chad basins to address environmental, economic and security challenges affecting communities across the subregion.
Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr Joseph Utsev, made the call yesterday at the opening of a three-day regional conference on “Hydrodiplomacy, Gender and Strategic Investments” in Abuja, supported by German Cooperation.
Utsev said the strategic importance of the two basins required greater investment in water infrastructure and other sectors critical to regional development.
He noted that water resources transcended political boundaries, stressing the need for countries sharing the basins to ensure their sustainable and equitable management.
“The scale and complexity of the challenges facing our shared Basin require financing beyond what public resource alone can provide.
“We must therefore mobilise greater support from development partners, international financial institutions, the private sector and innovative financing mechanisms, and encourage our partners to see the Niger and Lake Chad Basin not only as areas of vulnerability but also as opportunities for investment, economic growth and regional transformation,” he said.
According to the minister, investments in water infrastructure, climate resilience, irrigation, sanitation, ecosystem restoration, renewable energy, livelihoods and knowledge could deliver benefits across national borders.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Niger Basin Authority, NBA, Mr Kocou Houanye, called for stronger regional cooperation and accelerated investment to address environmental, socio-economic and security challenges affecting the two basins.
Houanye said the conference, jointly organised by the NBA and Lake Chad Basin Commission, LCBC, provided an opportunity for countries and institutions within the transboundary basins to strengthen dialogue and promote sustainable development.
He said the meeting also provided a platform for dialogue and negotiations over conflicts arising from natural resources and environmental challenges.
According to him, large populations across the Niger and Lake Chad basins depended on their natural resources for their livelihoods, making stronger cooperation among member states and development partners essential.
Houanye called for accelerated implementation of strategic investments, particularly in infrastructure and agriculture, describing the sectors as important drivers of peace, stability and shared prosperity.
He said the conference was expected to produce practical recommendations to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders and enhance the role of the two basin organisations as platforms for regional dialogue.
The NBA executive secretary said the Programme for Development and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Niger Basin had recorded improved implementation, with physical implementation rising from 37 per cent to 48.3 per cent and financial implementation from 17 per cent to 57 per cent.
He added that the programme’s commitment rate had increased from 49 per cent to 92 per cent.
Houanye commended the Nigerian Government for its political, technical and financial support to the NBA, saying implementation of the programme in Nigeria had recorded progress.
He said discussions were ongoing with development partners on the next phase of the programme, including efforts to expand its coverage to more member countries.
A representative of German Cooperation, Mrs Hanna Albrecht, called for stronger regional cooperation and coordinated responses to challenges affecting the two basins.
Albrecht said climate change, pressure on natural resources, insecurity and threats to livelihoods were interconnected challenges whose effects transcended national borders.
She urged stakeholders to base interventions on the realities and needs of affected communities, with women and young people playing central roles in creating sustainable economic opportunities.
She said German Cooperation was supporting the NBA and LCBC and remained committed to helping member states develop coordinated responses to shared challenges.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the LCBC, Amb. Ibrahim Babani, said the commission was strengthening the capacity of member states to assess water use and demand through tools for mapping cropland, determining crop water requirements and identifying areas with water deficits and surpluses.
Babani said the tools would also help assess areas suitable for groundwater storage and would be incorporated into an interactive dashboard at the commission’s headquarters in N’Djamena.
He described the conference as a call to action to protect water resources and build resilient societies, stressing the role of women and young people in water diplomacy, peacebuilding and natural-resource management.
Babani said the LCBC remained committed to implementing the conference outcomes across member states and strengthening cooperation with the NBA and partner institutions, particularly ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference.
He said transboundary basin organisations should serve as platforms for peace, regional integration and mobilisation of investment to strengthen resilience, stability and prosperity.
The NBA National Focal Structure, Angela Keyede, said the conference would strengthen cooperation among Niger and Lake Chad Basin countries on water management, climate resilience, peace, security and development.
She also called for gender-responsive approaches to hydrodiplomacy and strategic investments, with greater inclusion of women and vulnerable groups in transboundary water governance.
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