IMPROVEMENT OF INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE LAKE CHAD BASIN
Water shortage, environmental degradation and climate change are just a few of the many challenges in the Lake Chad Basin, which are accelerated by rapid population growth and volatile social, economic and political developments in the region. The Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) was established in 1964 to address these challenges by managing the lake and its transboundary water resources, preserving the ecosystem and promoting regional integration, peace, security and development.
The current GIZ program “Applied Water Resource Management in the Lake Chad Basin, Phase II”, funded by the BMZ, aims at improving the capacities of the LCBC regarding the advice of its member countries towards an environmentally friendly, climate change-adapted, gender-sensitive and conflict-reducing management of the shared water resources.
Within this program, GFA will play a crucial role by providing conceptual and institutional advice to the LCBC. The lack of relevant information for evidence-based decision-making is a major obstacle for the commission. The GFA team will tackle this challenge by improving the digital Lake Chad Information System (LIS). A LIS working group and a task force will be established for collecting, analyzing and disseminating relevant information in the member countries. Another key challenge is the sustainable use of natural resources, as well as the prevention or resolution of conflicts at the local and cross-border level. Therefore, a partner platform in the sub-basin Logone will be set-up that represents the interests of state, civil society and private actors in a gender-equitable way. Its objective will be to identify key challenges through participatory hotspot mapping, and to identify and implement specific countermeasures. At GFA, the Agriculture and Rural Development Department currently prepares for the project’s kick-off in November 2023. A team of GFA experts will support the LCBC on its way towards an inclusive, sustainable and conflict-sensitive management of the Lake Chad water resources.
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