‘UNESCO Driving Sustainable Water Security In Niger Basin”

The director-general of the National Water Resources Institute (NWRI), Kaduna, Prof. Abduljalal Danbaba, has said the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is promoting sustainable and equitable water security in the Niger Basin region.

Danbaba spoke yesterday in Abuja at the opening of a two-day regional workshop on “Governance Mechanisms for Cooperation on Conjunctive Water Resources Management in the Niger Basin and the Iullemeden-Taoudéni/Tanezrouft Aquifer System (NB-ITTAS) region”, hosted by UNESCO.

He said increasing pressures from climate variability, rapid population growth and uncoordinated water use had made innovative governance approaches and stronger regional collaboration imperative for African countries.

Danbaba said UNESCO remains committed to supporting sustainable water security through research, training and knowledge generation, particularly in transboundary river basin management.

“In addition to my role as director-general of NWRI, I am privileged to serve as chairman of the Executive Committee of the UNESCO Category 2 Regional Centre for Integrated River Basin Management (RC-IRBM), hosted at NWRI in Kaduna. This dual responsibility strengthens our contribution to UNESCO’s mission and deepens our commitment to regional cooperation, knowledge-sharing and capacity development,” he said.

According to him, the Niger Basin and the NB-ITTAS constitute one of Africa’s most critical transboundary water systems, supporting the livelihoods, ecosystems, agriculture, energy generation, and economic activities of millions of people across the region.

“However, the combined pressures of climate change, population growth and uncoordinated water use demand innovative governance solutions and stronger collaboration among our countries,” he added.

Danbaba commended UNESCO for convening the workshop, describing it as timely and strategic, particularly its focus on the conjunctive management of surface and groundwater resources, as well as the strengthening of governance mechanisms within the NB-ITTAS region.

Earlier, the minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, represented by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr Emanso Okop Umobong, underscored the urgency of collaborative governance in managing transboundary water systems.

He said the NB-ITTAS region is one of the most significant shared water systems in West and Central Africa, sustaining millions of lives, supporting agriculture, driving economic activity and contributing to environmental stability.

“Like many shared water resources globally, the NB-ITTAS faces increasing pressure from climate change, rapid population growth, competing water demands and declining groundwater recharge in several areas,” he said.

Utsev stressed that collaborative governance, knowledge sharing and joint management mechanisms are now more critical than ever.

In his remarks, the head of the UNESCO Office in Abuja, Dr Jean-Paul Ngome Abiaga, said the workshop was particularly significant in view of shrinking water bodies in the region, including Lake Chad, underscoring the urgency for collective action.