Nigeria to receive over 50% of global water fund – ECOWAS

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has said Nigeria will get at least 55 per cent of the global water fund.

ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitization, Sediko Douka, disclosed this at the 5th ordinary session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee (MMC), meeting for a framework for coordination and monitoring of Integrated Water Resources Management, IWRM, in Abuja.

He said this is based on Nigeria’s large population and contribution to the regional bloc’s levy.

Douka explained that West African states have been committed to integrated water management leading to an action plan in 2000 and a framework in 2001, stressing the need for a new form of water management to tackle water-related problems.

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The ECOWAS commissioner stated that the essence of the ministerial monitoring committee meeting was to revitalise cooperation and implementation of the regional water policies for development of the region.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Terlumun Utsev, while declaring the meeting open, called for unity among member states for the development of the water sector.

“To truly see growth in the sub-region, we need to be united and work as a team, especially when it comes to the management of our water resources, both surface and underground,” he noted.

Professor Utsev , who stressed that the subregion is blessed with great potential, added that it is only through collaboration and partnership that the region could overcome the present economic situation.

“The sub-region has a great amount of potential, and through working together, we can foster a region that can solve its challenges – from climate change, poverty, unemployment, inequality, and more,” the Minister added.

The meeting by members of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), comprising water resources experts from Member States and West African basin organisations held from June 25-27, 2024, for the 11th ordinary session of the technical expert committee of the Permanent Framework for Coordination and Monitoring of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in West Africa.

The meeting aimed to revitalise the regional IWRM process by reviewing the implementation of resolutions from the 4th Ordinary Session.

Key resolutions to be produced include promoting new transboundary basin organisations, structural reform and capacity building of water resources management centres (WRMC), regular PCMF meetings, and establishing a regional consultation mechanism on integrated ecosystem management.

The TEC meeting will be followed by the 5th Ordinary Session of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee of IWRM in West Africa, on Friday, 28th June 2024.

This session will consider reports and recommendations from the experts’ meeting, including the draft ECOWAS-WRMC Strategic Plan 2020-2030, the Draft Directive on the Development of Water Infrastructure in West Africa, the draft guideline on the management of shared water resources in West Africa, the revival of the program for promoting new transboundary basin organisations in West Africa, and the operationalisation of the Regional Water Observatory.