WATER P-NOTES ISSUE 16 OCTOBER 2008 46468 The Niger River Basin: A Vision for Sustainable Management T he Niger River Basin Authority (NBA) brings as power, irrigation, and navigation, to those "be- together nine countries to promote integrated yond the river," such as increases in trade, com- water resources management across political munication investments, and enhanced exchanges borders. The nine--Benin, Burkina Faso, Camer- of labor. oon, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria--have embraced a shared vision to build The Niger River's hydrologically active basin institutional capacity, political agreement, and public covers a surface area of nearly 1.5 million square support for cooperation. The countries agree that kilometers. Of the total, Mali holds about 30 per- sustainable management and development of the cent; it also contains the longest segment of the basin's water resources are necessary to meet natu- river. Mali has irrigated farming along the river, ral and man-made threats to their shared resources, and rain-fed crops that include millet, sorghum, and that progress can be achieved by integrating corn, groundnuts, and Africa's largest cotton crop. technical data on the hydrology and geography of The Inland Delta is an undeveloped, flooded the river system with judicious political and eco- ecosystem with abundant freshwater fishing areas nomic policy. and pastureland for more than 2 million head of cattle. The Niger River Basin, home to 100 million peo- ple, is a vital and complex asset of West and Central Niger, with about 23 percent of the Basin within Africa. The continent's third-longest river, the Niger its borders, depends on river navigation (through is more than just a source of water. For the people Nigeria) to reach the sea. Nigeria, a major food of the nine countries it is a source of identity, a route grower on rain-fed and irrigated land, is the final for migration and commerce, a source of conflict, downstream country. Its borders enclose some 80 and now a catalyst for cooperation. percent of the Basin's population and about 28 per- cent of its territory. The Niger River Basin Authority: The Niger River Commission was established in 1964, under an agreement on agricultural and in- Membership and mission dustrial use of water, water resources development, navigation, and transportation. In 1980, the heads The Niger River holds tremendous development of state of the Basin countries replaced the Niger potential for the nine Basin countries, which are River Commission with the NBA. The transition was among the poorest in the world. Opportunities meant to bolster the organization's effectiveness range from those directly related to the river, such and self-sufficiency. But insufficient financial com- This note reports key findings from The Niger River Basin: A Vision for Sustainable Management by Inger Andersen, Ousmane Dione, Martha Jarosewich-Holder, Jean-Claude Olivry, and Katherin George Golitzen (World Bank, 2005). Readers may download the complete paper from www.worldbank.org/water. WATER P-NOTES mitments on the part of member countries led to a Inland Delta and Lakes District. With its system gradual loss of credibility. of lakes on both banks of the Niger River, the In- Ministers from the member states assembled in land Delta is the result of the immense discharge 1998 to address the progressive degradation of the from the Upper Niger Basin and Bani tributary. environment and water resources of the Basin. In The result is an immense, fertile floodplain with an 2002 the nine heads of state renewed their political extensive tributary network and shallow lakes. The commitment to manage the Basin's water resources lakes and floodplains dissipate the power of the in a sustainable manner and to maximize develop- river through evaporation. The Delta thus provides ment opportunities. They agreed on the concept of a cushion during the annual floods by slowing the a "Shared Vision" bolstered by a program of action. river's flow. The leaders confirmed their commitment in the Paris The Middle Niger, Malian-Nigerien, and Beni- Declaration of April 2004. The Niger Basin Council nese-Nigerien Right-Bank Segment. This is a low- of Ministers, reporting directly to the heads of state, altitude plateau with a series of tributaries flowing was established as a supervision mechanism. The into the Niger from their origins in Burkina-Faso, Sustainable Development Action Program (SDAP), southern Mali, and Benin. Here, the flow rises at the operational instrument through which the coun- two times of the year. The first high-water discharge, tries have chosen to address the challenges of the the white flood, occurs in September after the rainy Basin, is responsible for devising an innovative ap- season sends water down tributaries from Burkina proach to defining and planning development op- Faso. A second rise, the black flood, occurs in De- portunities. cember, and corresponds to the delayed flood from The NBA must promote engagement of a wide the Upper Niger. Frequently, the floods caused by range of stakeholders with diverse interests. A small the input from the semi-arid tributaries in September and modestly funded organization is limited in what are higher than the delayed flood from upstream on it can achieve, but with cooperation and transpar- the Niger. ency, the NBA can set an example of leadership The Middle Niger Left-Bank Tributaries. This and nurture a culture of openness, consultation, region is characterized by a wadi network in the up- involvement, and inclusion. stream reach of the segment, with little contribution to the Niger River, and an increased inflow from the tributary network in the lower reaches of the seg- The Basin's physical geography ment. In Nigeria, the Niger River continues to grow and water resources with the contributions from its rain-fed tributaries. Flow peaks in September for the white flood. The Along its course, the Niger River traverses al- black flood is muted but noticeable. most all of the possible ecosystem zones in West The Benue River. This is a major tributary to the Africa--high-altitude moist forests, woody savan- Lower Niger River originating in the high-altitude nas, short-grass savannas, dense woods, flooded Adamawa Plateau in Cameroon. There is only one grasslands, wetlands and lakes, mangrove forests, high-water season on the Benue. It normally oc- and swamp vegetation. The river encompasses six curs between May and October, earlier than on the regions. Middle Niger. In Nigeria, a web of tributaries flows The Upper Niger River Basin and the Bani into the Niger River. Watershed. The headwaters of the Niger have an The Lower Niger River and the Niger Delta. extensive network of steep-sloped tributaries origi- These two regions have high rainfall. A few small nating in Haute Guinée. The Bani tributary network tributaries feed into the Lower Niger River, which originates in the low-altitude plateaus of southern empties into the Niger Delta, an area characterized Mali and Côte d'Ivoire. In this region, the rainfall by swamps, lagoons, and navigable channels. The pattern creates a large seasonal variation in flows. Lower Niger's high-water period begins in May or More than 80 percent of the annual flow is between June, caused by high rainfall in the Benue Basin. August and November. The highest flood level gen- The flow increases until it reaches its maximum level erally occurs during late September. in October. 2 ISSUE 16 · OCTOBER 2008 The availability of groundwater in the region Specific opportunities for investment identified varies with rainfall rates and soil permeability. The by the countries are: Upper Basin has little groundwater. The Inland Delta has huge groundwater aquifers that are · food production; widely used, particularly in Niger. Groundwater in · energy production; the Lower Delta is variable. Cumulative dry periods reduce the base groundwater flow, and a return to · access to markets through navigation of the sustained river flow requires replenishment of the Niger River; aquifers over several successive rainy years. · environmental management and water resource More and more of what the Niger River car- development; ries is pollution. The growth of large cities along · flood and drought mitigation; the river's banks has not been accompanied by development of wastewater collection and treat- · livestock and fisheries; and ment plants. Industries in Bamako discharge · ecotourism. metallic elements into the water. Fertilizer use af- fects water quality in some parts of the river. The Investments will inevitably be driven by a variety exploitation of coal, iron, gold, and other mineral of factors, including local and national priorities, resources is also an environmental threat in the diplomacy, political compromise, availability of and Basin. access to investment finance, and, perhaps most important, the extent of broad ownership of, and commitment to, development priorities. Cooperative development of the Because the nine basin countries are among Niger River Basin the poorest in the world, development of the tre- mendous potential of the Niger River is vital to For many years the trend in the Niger River Basin reducing poverty in the region. Opportunities such has been for unilateral development of the river's as power, navigation, and irrigation are directly resources. But for the nations of the Basin, the only linked to the river. As trust and cooperation grow, way to secure sustainable win­win benefits--more benefits "beyond the river" should follow: commu- water, more food, more power, and more nications, trade, and the exchange of labor and transport--is to cooperate, as the nations bordering ideas. other major rivers have managed to do (see figure). The alternative of unilateral development will most likely produce lose­lose outcomes, including lost Criteria for success and ways opportunities, rising tensions, and conflict. forward Provided the authority that emerged from the 2002 summit of the heads of state of the nine Figure 1. Examples of Types of River countries in the basin is strong enough to allow Basin Cooperation the NBA to broker major development invest- ments, the nine countries have an opportunity to move a significant, common agenda forward, to Indus Mekong Rhine Orange Senegal River reduce poverty, promote regional cooperation and Communi- Information Convergence Joint Equity & Types of cation sharing of national preparation joint cooperation integration, and enhance the lives of 100 million agenda of projects & ownership investments people. The degree to which the NBA can recapture Dispute Cooperation Continuum Integration Unilateral Coordination Collaboration Joint both legitimacy and relevance will largely deter- Action Action mine whether the institution will meet expectations. Source: Data from C. Sadoff and D. Grey, "A Continuum of Securing and At the national level, the NBA's agenda must be Sharing Benefits," Water International 30, no. 4 (2005): 6. owned by many stakeholders, including the min- 3 WATER P-NOTES istries of water resources, finance, foreign affairs, to continue to work on its core mandate of river ba- energy, agriculture, transportation, and the envi- sin management and development. ronment. Local governments, agencies, farmers, and communities are equally important. The NBA Several donors, including the World Bank, will be financially secure only if each constituency have committed to supporting the member states sees the relevance and benefits of the institution. and the NBA as they reform the institution and But above all, tangible results will depend on implement the SDAP. It is important that the donor strong political leadership and commitment to the community now put aside any individual prefer- Shared Vision on the part of the heads of state ences for national investments, in an effort to let and councils of ministers. optimal regional solutions emerge through the Shared Vision process. With the donors' deter- The NBA's objectives can be met only if the mined support, the Niger Basin countries and the countries adhere to their financial commitments, NBA could unleash the river's development poten- thus allowing the NBA to be financially sustainable tial for the benefit of the 100 million people living and autonomous, to attract highly skilled staff, and in its huge domain. The Water Sector Board Practitioner Notes (P-Notes) series is published by the Water Sector Board of the Sustainable Development Network of the World Bank Group. P-Notes are available online at www.worldbank.org/water. P-Notes are a synopsis of larger World Bank documents in the water sector. 4 THE WORLD BANK | 1818 H Street, NW | Washington, DC 20433 www.worldbank.org/water | whelpdesk@worldbank.org