The Hague, Kingdom of the Netherlands, 23 October 2026: As part of its high-level mission to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the delegation of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA), led by His Excellency Mr Armand Kocou HOUAYE, Executive Secretary of the NBA, held a working session on the morning of 23 October 2026 with the partners of Invest International, led by Mr Willem Mak, Regional Director for West Africa and Morocco, Water and Infrastructure sector.

The Executive Secretary took the opportunity to reiterate the NBA’s appreciation to Invest International for its support to the SATH-ABN project, whose achievements are helping to improve knowledge of the Niger Basin and to strengthen the hydroclimatic information services provided to the Member States and to the populations of the Basin.

The meeting provided an opportunity to deepen the dialogue on consolidating the partnership between the two Parties, with a view to sustaining the achievements of the Satellite-based Water Resources Monitoring and Streamflow Forecasting in the Niger Basin project (SATH-ABN), exploring the prospects for a follow-up phase and promoting innovative solutions in support of the sustainable development of the Niger Basin.

The Executive Secretary of the NBA also outlined the main challenges facing the Niger Basin, notably the growing incidence of flood and drought risks, the degradation of ecosystems, the critical shortfall in structuring water infrastructure, and the need to improve the availability and sharing of reliable hydroclimatic data. He underscored the decisive role of regional cooperation, technological innovation and capacity building in reducing hydroclimatic risks, informing decision-making and enabling the accelerated and effective implementation of structuring water investments in the Niger Basin.

In light of the foregoing, the Executive Secretary indicated that the NBA is giving priority to three categories of investment, relating to: (i) data and information on water resources and climate; (ii) technical and institutional capacity building; and (iii) structuring infrastructure for water, food and energy security in the Niger Basin.
To that end, he encouraged the Parties to pool their efforts in support of resource mobilisation and the creation of synergies with ongoing cooperation initiatives, such as those with Team Europe, the African Development Bank and German Cooperation, including in the context of preparing and financing the follow-up to the Integrated Programme for Development and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Niger Basin (PIDACC/BN).

The Regional Director for West Africa and Morocco, Water and Infrastructure sector, of Invest International thanked the Executive Secretary and his delegation, while acknowledging the relevance and added value of the tools developed under the SATH-ABN Project, which is scheduled to close at the end of December 2026. He went on to stress the need to consider how these tools could be used to strengthen cooperation among the nine NBA Member States.

Both Parties finally expressed their readiness to work together on the forthcoming preparation of a Concept Note for the follow-up to the SATH-ABN Project.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the NBA delegation also held discussions with representatives of the international organisation SNV to explore possibilities for collaboration, in particular to respond even better to the resilience needs of the populations of the Niger Basin, through the NBA’s Field Action.

Through these exchanges, the NBA reaffirms its determination to consolidate its partnerships, to develop synergies with Dutch technical and financial actors, and to promote sustainable, innovative and concerted solutions for the benefit of the populations of the Niger Basin.