Composite Natural Resource Management Brief
Ousmane Dione, World Bank Lead Water Resources Specialist:
1. Senegal River Basin Regional Hydropower Project: The first power pool in West Africa connecting three of the riparian countries of the Senegal River Basin (Mali, Mauritania and Senegal) through 1,500 km of transmission lines jointly financed owned and operated in conjunction with the Manantali multipurpose hydropower dam. The project also pioneered the development of the water charter of the Senegal River that governs the overall water allocation among all users in the Senegal River Basin.
2. Inclusive framework of the Senegal River Basin: This technical assistance project promoted and facilitated the overall institutional, legal and technical dialogue among the four riparian countries of the Senegal River Basin (Guinea, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal) leading to the return of Guinea into the Senegal River Basin Organization (OMVS) Guinea left 34 years ago. The inclusive framework also embedded the preparation and adoption of a priority development program to be implemented by OMVS on behalf of the four countries;
3. Senegal River Basin Water and Environmental Management Project: The first basin-wide water and environment project to build linkages between regional, national and local levels across the four riparian countries of the Senegal Basin. An important aspect of the project was the establishment of local level coordination committees (LCCs) across the basin with a specific focus on transboundary natural resource management activities and active stakeholder participation through regional involvement and coordination of NGOs within the Basin;
4. Senegal River Basin Multipurpose Water Resources Management Program: A 10 year program to implement a Basin wide multi-sector program, including hydropower development, innovative benefits- sharing at the local level (through associated income generation activities and reduction of waterborne diseases resulting from regional infrastructure-Malaria and Bilharzia) and institutional capacity building at regional, national and local levels (2006 to date). An important feature of the project is the operational decision making process at three levels in implementing the program activities across the basin and within the four countries.
5. Niger Basin Authority (NBA) Institutional Reform. This technical assistance project led to the overall revamping of one of the oldest basin organizations in Africa (NBA) and the preparation of a basin master plan with a priority regional development program worth USD 8 billion.
6. Niger Basin Water Resources and Environmental Management Project. The first regional water resources management operation implemented across the nine countries of the Niger Basin. The project built and strengthened the linkages between the NBA, riparian countries and grassroots organizations in addressing water and environmental hotspot issues within the Basin.
7. Niger Basin Water resources development and sustainable ecosystem management program: This ambitious program spanning over 12 years aims at implementing priority actions within the Niger Basin master plan. It includes the rehabilitation of multipurpose hydropower dams in Nigeria in support of the West Africa Power Pool Program (WAPP) with the supply of electricity to riparian countries (Benin and Niger); the feasibility studies for additional dams (Mali, Guinea and Nigeria); the development of planning tools for cooperative management and sharing of the Niger River water resources, and the development of income generation activities across the five countries participating in the first phase of the program. The program also includes an important feature on conflict resolution through the active involvement of stakeholders know as Fada Ngourma forum on decision making for basin water resources management.
8. Volta River Basin Institutional program: This initiative included support to the six riparian countries of the Volta River Basin in establishing the Volta River Basin Authority in 2006.
9. Congo Basin: Started initial discussions with the International Commission of Congo Ubangui-Shari (CISCOS) on developing a regional initiative for water resources management in the Congo Basin.
10. Indus and Ganges River Basins: Coordinates water resource initiatives and related regional activities in the context of an emerging regional priority on the great rivers of the Himalayas in the South Asia Region.
Mekuria Tafesse, Water Resources Management Consultant
Experience supporting transboundary water projects:
1. NEPAD’s[1] Short Term Action Plan for Transboundary Water Resources, 2003/2004 - consultant to AfDB: Identification of projects that enhanced the formation, or strengthening, of river basin organizations. Necessitated assessments of the status of the cooperative development and management of selected River basin Organizations, consultations with Regional Economic Commissions (ECOWAS and the SADC), the development of coherent approaches and recommendations for a set of initial projects for the immediate to medium term. The transboundary river/lake basins assessed were: Senegal, Niger, Lake Chad and Congo. For the Congo River Basin recommendations were provided on approaches to initiating riparian cooperation.
2. Eastern Nile Subsidiary Action Program, 2005/2009 - ENTRO ED: Identification and preparation of cooperative investment projects, consensus building through extensive stakeholder engagements, resource mobilization and initiation of implementation that included a power interconnection. Investments worth US$ 500m were acquired by the countries (with much more in the pipeline) as a result of cooperation. Some of the major achievements were: a shared understanding of river basin resources (socio-economics, environment and water resources), the strengthening of regional and country institutions that drive cooperation, trust building and development of partnerships, various stakeholders were included: development partners, parliamentarian groupings, multi-sectoral experts, academicians, researchers, civil society, media, etc. Planning for larger joint investments is underway, encouraged by the experiences garnered from the Senegal River Basin and Lesotho Highlands Development Project.
3. Zambezi Basin Multi-Sector Investment Opportunity Analysis, 2009 - Consultant to World Bank: Contributed to a technical workshop on the preliminary findings of a study investigating the opportunities for multi-sector investment in the Zambezi River Basin, delivered a session on experiences and lessons learnt in cooperative transboundary river basins in Africa and participated in the planning of future steps.
[1] New Partnership for Africa’s Development - now part of the African Union