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AfDB, Lake Chad Commission partner to transform member countries

Abuja, Feb. 18, 2024: The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group and the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), have agreed to transform the living conditions of Nigerians and other member countries of the commission.

Mrs Marie-Laure, Akin-Olugbade, AfDB’s Vice-President in charge of regional development, integration, and execution of activities, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Akin-Olugbade spoke at the official signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Cooperation between the AfDB Group and the LCBC.

The MoU was signed on sidelines of the 37th Summit of Heads of State and Governments of African Union Commission in Addis-Ababa.

She said :“this MoU involves transforming the living conditions of the 50 million people living in the six member countries of the LCBC.

“They include the Chad, Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, the Central African Republic, and Libya.

“ This will also have a positive impact on the ecosystem of the Lake Chad watershed.

The Lake Chad, once considered the sixth largest inland body of water in the world, covering an area of 25,000 km2, began to shrink dramatically in the 1970s.

By the 1980s, its area had fallen to less than 2,000 km2. This represents a reduction of 92 per cent between 10 and 15 years, with its decline traced to various factors.

Akin-Olugbade said:“climate change and variability have played an important role. Droughts and extremely low rainfall levels have been a constant feature.

“ Population growth is another factor, exacerbating pressure on the basin’s natural resources.

“Since the 1960s, the population of the Chad Basin has quadrupled, and we predict a further doubling by 2050.

“ Lake Chad now supports the livelihoods of approximately two million people along its shores and contributes to the food security for around 50 million people in the river basin.”

According to the vice-president, environmental changes cause or influence by humans, directly or indirectly, have also played a role.

She said this was reflected in the amount of water diverted for irrigation alone, which quadrupled between 1983 and 1994 compared to the amount used in the previous 25 years.

“Today, the Lake Chad Basin is the archetypal “disaster triangle,” combining three factors that threaten livelihoods and create fertile ground for conflict.

“Climate change and environmental degradation, extreme rural poverty and high rates of youth unemployment.

“This MOU is a call to collectively intensify and accelerate actions that will restore and improve carrying capacity degraded ecosystems of the Lake Chad Basin using an intelligent set of sustainable solutions,” she said.

According to Akin-Olugbade, the inclusion of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo in the MOU, is a great example of the needed collective action.

She said:“the two countries are not currently members of the LCBC, but are significant potential contributors in terms of water resources.

“They are part of the ecosystem that dictates the fate of the Lake Chad basin.

“As the main financial partner of the LCBC for several years, the AfDB has supported investment projects in the basin, totalling more than 241 million dollars.

“ We will now consolidate the gains made through a new integrated regional programme that offers a sustainable solution to the Chad’s challenges and improves the living conditions of the basin’s population.”

While reiterating the basin’s importance, Akin-Olugbade urged the collaboration of relevant stakeholders to revive it to an environmental treasure of the continent and the world.

For his part, Amb. Mamman Nuhu, Executive-Secretary of Lake Chad Basin Commission, thanked the bank for its continued support to the member states of the LCBC.

According to Nuhu, the AfDB has remained the LCBC’s biggest funding partner over the past 20 years.

“The combination of AfDB’s financial resources and the LCBC’s technical expertise will forge a sustainable path forward for the Lake Chad region.

“Our shared goal is to ensure the sustainability of the Lake Chad Basin, especially the Lake, which has dramatically shrunk due to climate change and increased human demands.

“The MoU that we signed today is therefore a manifestation of our commitment to ensuring water security, economic prosperity, and stability in the region.

“ It is an integral part of our shared goal – to build climate resilience and sustainable growth,” he said.

He therefore urged LCBC’s partners to collaborate with the bank to enhance synergies in support of the development of the Lake Chad Basin.

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Borno moves to tap agricultural potentials of Lake Chad

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Maiduguri, Nov. 22, 2023: Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno has announced the commitment of his administration in exploiting the agricultural potentials of the shores of Lake Chad in boosting agriculture in the state.

A statement on Tuesday by Malam Isa Gusau, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, said Zulum made this known during his visit to Baga where he assessed portion of the lake for agriculture.

The governor also spoke on enhancing trans-border trade between communities in Nigeria and their counterparts of Chad and Niger Republics.

Zulum during the assesment observed that with agricultural activities picking up along the shores, the returning communities hitherto depending on government support and humanitarian aid would have sources of livelihood.

“We are here to see how we can support large-scale farming, this town was ravaged by the insurgents and people were resettled back about last two or three years.

“So, in order to provide a means of livelihood to the people we have to exploit the potentials of the Lake Chad.

“Our first objective is to see how we can support the Army and the Navy to clear the waterways so that movement by boat from Baga to Chad can commence which will enhance trans-border trade and agriculture”, Zulum said.

The border town of Baga, Zulum also approved the construction of a High Islamic College.

The over 2,000 students capacity college would combine traditional Islamic education with literacy and numeracy as well as digital and vocational education.

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AfDB pledges to support recharge of Lake Chad Basin

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Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the President, African Development Bank (AfDB), has pledged the Bank’s support for the recharging of water to the Lake Chad Basin.

Adesina made the pledge during his discussion with President Muhammadu Buhari on the sideline of the ongoing COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

In a tweet, Adesina said: “I had a great discussion with President Muhammadu Buhari at the COP26 in Glasgow.

“I asked for his leadership to help on the recharging of water to the Lake Chad Basin. We will rally behind you.

“The cost of inaction is greater than the cost of action. Thank you Mr. President,” Adesina said.

The shrinkage of Lake Chad has been one of the main factors responsible for insurgency and socio-economic unrests in the Lake Chad Basin Commission member countries.

The countries include Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Algeria, the Central African Republic, Libya, and Sudan.

Major sources of livelihood including farming and fishing of about 40 million people living along the Chad Basin are said to be affected.

 Stakeholders within the member countries have identified inter-basin water transfer as the realistic solution confronting the receding Lake.

Jabi Lake

Buhari calls for massive investment to recharge Lake Chad

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President Muhammadu Buhari says massive investments are needed through strong public-private partnership to recharge the waters of Lake Chad to address the challenges of poverty and insecurity in the Lake Chad region.

President Buhari stated this at the Fifth Edition of the Future Investment Initiative Summit holding in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday.

The Nigerian leader drew the attention of world leaders to the devastating effect of climate change on livelihoods of people around the Lake Chad.

“As we strive to build resilience towards a sustainable economy in our various countries, let us not forget the negative impact of climate change on our efforts to achieve this goal.

”Nigeria and many countries in Africa, are already facing the challenges posed by climate change. Climate change has triggered conflicts, food insecurity, irregular youth migration, rising level of sea waters, drought and desertification, as well as the drying-up of the Lake Chad.

“In the Lake Chad Basin region, where Boko Haram insurgency continues to undermine the peace, security and development of the region, climate change is largely responsible for the drying up of the Lake Chad which has shrunk by more than 85 per cent of its original size.

” The diminishing size of the Lake is at the root of the loss of millions of livelihoods, displacement of inhabitants and radicalization of teeming youths in the region who are recruited to serve as foot soldiers in the insurgency.

” In order to  redress this situation and restore the lost fortunes of the Lake Chad Basin region, strong public-private partnership through massive investments will be needed to recharge the waters of Lake Chad.

President Buhari expressed the hope that participants at the forum would rise to the challenge in the interest of durable peace and sustainable development of the Lake Chad region.

The president used the opportunity to convey heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud for the invitation extended to him to participate in the summit.

He also congratulated the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman for his leadership and support through the Future Investment Initiative Summit.

“I remain confident that through such exchanges, the world indeed will be a better place.

”I hope and pray that this forum will rise to the challenge in the interest of durable peace and sustainable development,” he added.

Mr Geoffrey Onyeama

Nigeria commits to development of Lake Chad Basin region

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The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring rehabilitation and sustainable development in the Lake Chad Basin region.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Geoffrey Onyeama said this in Abuja while addressing a delegation of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), the African Union, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Regional Stabilisation Strategy (RSS).

According to him, the briefing is the outcome of an important meeting with delegation of the Lake Chad Basin undertaking sensitisation campaign for regional stabilisation in the region.

“We know that the humanitarian and military security challenge of the Lake Chad Basin region is something that impacts very harshly on the four Lake Chad Basin countries.

“The countries are Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. The purpose of this campaign is to sensitise not only actors within those four countries, but also international partners.

“These include UN, AU, and bilateral partners towards efforts that are being made to coordinate the stabilisation objectives of those four countries, and harmonise programmes of the various levels.

“What this means is getting all the actors from the four countries at various levels to key in and approach the programme, by working on the same template.

“This is key and it will provide policy makers opportunities to accurately cost this and mobilise resources to address issues on rehabilitation and promotion of development in the region,” Onyema said.

Amb. Mamman Nuhu, Executive-Secretary and Head of Mission of Multinational Joint Task Force of LCBC said that awareness strategy had been initiated to sensitize member countries.

Nuhu added that the strategy had become important to ensure that stabilisation principles were provided as guide, in terms of implementation within affected countries of the Lake Chad region.

According to him, although governments of affected states are principal actors responsible for the development of national action plans, there should be ownership, coordination, and support by Federal Governments.

“This will ensure that proper planning and implementation of the territorial action plans are integrated in strategies and programmes, and government get support for initiatives that fall outside their competencies.

“The strategy seeks to establish inclusive framework for stakeholders to support coordinated and effective transition from stabilisation to recovery, and resumption of stalled development processes affected by Boko Haram insurgency.

“It is that spirit that the LCBC, in partnership with AU and the UNDP has undertaken series of high level engagements to create relevant awareness of the strategies among affected countries and deepened understanding by policy makers for seamless incorporation into various national and state development plans,” Nuhu said.

In his remarks, Dr Chika Aniekwe, a Policy Analyst and Researcher,  described the strategy as a five-year initial long-term plan.

According to him, the inception phase of the strategy began in 2019, while the implementation phase commenced in 2020.

“At the end of the five years there will be stock-taking and an overview of the way forward,” Aniekwe said.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that high point of the event was the presentation of documented framework for regional stabilisation in the Lake Chad region by Amb. Nuhu to the Minister.

The Lake Chad basin, located in Northern Central Africa, covers almost 8% of the continent and spreads over seven countries.

About 20 per cent of the total area of the Lake Chad basin, or 427500 km2, is called the Conventional Basin (42% in Chad, 28% in Niger, 21% in Nigeria, and 9% in Cameroon), which is under the mandate of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.

This commission was created in 1964 by the four member states with the objective of ensuring the most rational use of water, land, and other natural resources and to coordinate regional development.

In Nigeria, two sub-basins drain into the lake: the Yedseram/Ngadda sub-basin to the south and the Hadejia/Jama’are-Komadougou/Yobe sub-basin to the north.