Niger Basin Authority : A workshop on the operationalization of the observatory was held in Ouagadougou

The Niger basin, like other river basins in the subregion experiencing a degradation of its natural resources related to the combined effects of climate change and pressure of growing populations with many and varied needs while resources are dwindling.

The Observatory of the Niger Basin (NBO) was created in order to find appropriate solutions to this situation, and one of its missions is to contribute to strengthening the coordinating role of the NBA and improve consultation across the basin.

Thus, from June 30 to July 2, 2015, was held in Ouagadougou, the National formalization workshop of environmental data and socio-economic management network OBN.

Bringing together environmental experts, members of the national coordination of users and-using the natural resources of the Niger Basin, members of the National Focal Point of the Niger Basin Authority, the officials in charge of Hydraulic Resources, private sector and civil society.

It will therefore be for three days, for participants to be informed on the one hand on the different tools developed and the data necessary to populate the 28 priority environmental indicators Environmental Information System (EIS). Furthermore, participants will discuss the principles and collection strategies, processing and dissemination of data and the organization and the formulation of a network of national partners, hydro-climatic data managers or producers, environmental and socio-economic. For Robert Dessouassi, head of the Observatory of the Niger Basin, boasting a French financial support of the Fund for Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the French Development Agency (AFD), said Observatory has been able to build with a number of procedures and tools necessary for its operationalization of which a development plan in 2027, an Environmental Information System (EIS) with a web interface. He also said that the Ouagadougou workshop, which is the penultimate organized in the various member countries of the NBA should allow exchange of 21 socio-economic indicators developed by the states. If the process is to lead to the establishment of a data management system for the nine member countries of the NBA for the representative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this will be an advocacy tool to raise awareness while making this data available to planners and decision-makers as part of a regional sustainable development program.