‘Over 30 million Nigerians to benefit from Niger Basin’

Ochekpe said this while speaking at the stakeholders sensitization workshop on the activities of NBA in Nigeria organised by the National Focal Structure the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
The minister who was represented by the Director, Planning Research and Statistics, Mr. Adamu Wakil, said that the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) is a trans-boundary water authority responsible for the management of all activities on the River Niger as it involves nine member countries namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Chad, with its headquarters in Niamey, Niger Republic.
She explained Nigeria’s vital role in decision making and as greatest contributor to the budget of the NBA as it hold 88 per cent of the total population of the Niger Basin and occupies a total area of 33 per cent of the contiguous landmass.
Speaking on the benefit of NBA investment on Kainji and Jebba dams, the minister said “the huge investment of NBA is designed at developing the socio-economic infrastructure, protect the resources and ecosystem and capacity building aimed at reinforcing and optimising water resources management in the Niger Basin in order to improve the living standard of over 30 million people living along the River Niger.”
She disclosed that NBA in collaboration with African Development Bank (ADB) was developing an integrated programme for development and climate change adaptation in the Niger Basin through sustainable management of natural resources.
The programme according to her was aimed at reducing the silting process in the River Niger, improving the resilience of population to climate change and management of natural resources.