From May 26 to 30, 2025, Abuja was the setting for a key moment in the regional momentum for integrated natural resource management. The regional workshop to consolidate the achievements of the NB-ITTAS Project, orchestrated by the Niger Basin Authority (NBA), brought together delegates from the nine member countries, civil society organizations, national coordinators, community beneficiaries, as well as all stakeholders involved in the project.
At its core, this regional event provided participants with an opportunity to share their experiences, draw lessons from the field, highlight best practices, and most importantly, prepare for the future. While the NB-ITTAS Project is drawing to a close, the challenges remain — but communities are ready to go further.
For five days of intensive work, participants addressed the three main types of pilot projects: protected areas, wetlands, and mountain forests. Through presentations, discussions, and group work, countries demonstrated concrete progress. In summary, degraded lands have been restored, community capacities strengthened, aquatic habitats protected, and local incomes improved.
Between expectations and realities
Discussions also revealed persistent challenges: insecurity in some regions, the impacts of climate change, the need for inter-agency coordination, and the complexities of transboundary management. These are all issues that will feed the thinking around a second phase, already outlined through a preliminary concept note shared with the countries.
Key recommendations
At the conclusion of the workshop, participants made several strategic recommendations, such as:
– Scaling up pilot projects;
– Creating agroecological centers in each member country;
– Increasing the involvement of local stakeholders throughout the entire project cycle;
– Adopting a streamlined institutional structure for greater efficiency;
– Strengthening the sharing and monitoring of environmental data.
A renewed commitment
The closing ceremony, simple and emotional, paid tribute to the commitment of all participants. Adamou Ibro, Acting Technical Director and representative of the NBA Executive Secretariat, expressed his satisfaction with the quality of the exchanges and the maturity of the proposals. Mrs. Angela Kegnede, representative of Nigeria’s National Focal Structure, officially closed the workshop, recalling that
“The knowledge gained must not remain idle, but serve as a dynamic tool to build the future.”
One project, one promise
With NB-ITTAS, the Niger Basin has not only restored its ecosystems. It has demonstrated that shared, inclusive, and enlightened governance is possible — even in the face of adversity. The consolidation of this first phase is therefore not an end, but rather a springboard toward a more ambitious, better organized, and impact-oriented second phase.
