Summary of Conventions

Country	Status	Year
Benin	member	01-Jan-1970
Burkina Faso	member	01-Jan-1970
Cameroon	member	01-Jan-1970
Chad	member	01-Jan-1970
Côte d'Ivoire	member	01-Jan-1970
Guinea	member	01-Jan-1970
Mali	member	01-Jan-1970
Niger	member	01-Jan-1970
Nigeria	member	01-Jan-1970

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	Niger Basin Authority (NBA)

Autorité du Bassin du Niger


ESTABLISHMENT AND FUNCTIONS 

Created in November 1964 by the Agreement of Niamey, the Niger River Commission (NRC) was entrusted with the task of coordinating and providing information on various development projects of the Niger Basin. On January 26, 1979 at Lagos, Nigeria, the Heads of State and Government of member countries of the Commission held a special meeting and discussed matters relating to the revitalizing and restructuring of the Organization, with a view toward making it more efficient. This determination was put into practice in November 1980 at Faranah, Guinea, by transforming the Commission into the Niger Basin Authority (NBA). 
The Niger Basin Authority is responsible for the harmonization and coordination of national development policies; the formulation of the general development policy of the Basin; the elaboration and implementation of an integrated development plan of the Basin; the initiation and monitoring of an orderly and rational regional policy for the utilization of the waters of the Niger River; the design and conduct of studies, researches and surveys; the formulation of plans, the construction, exploitation and maintenance of structure, and the elaboration of projects. 
The 16th Ordinary Sessions of the NBA Council of Ministers in Bamako, Mali, mandated the Executive Secretariat to conduct a study on the Performance and Prospects of the NBA. This study was undertaken with the support and full collaboration of the MULPOC of West Africa, Niamey. The Draft Report was sent to all Member States for comments and observations before it is tabled at the next NBA Council of Ministers scheduled for June/July 1995. 
 STRUCTURE 
The Summit of Heads of State and Government, which meets once every two years, is the supreme organ of orientation and decision. 
A Council of Ministers, which meets once a year, is responsible for the monitoring of the activities of the Executive Secretary. 
The Technical Committee of Experts prepares the meetings of the Council of Ministers. 
The Executive Secretariat is the executive organ of the Authority, and is run by an Executive Secretary appointed for a period of four years, which is renewable only once. 
The Executive Secretariat, in accordance with the Revision of the Convention creating the Niger Basin Authority approved by the 5th Summit of Heads of State and Government held in N'Djamena, Chad in October, 1987, has been re-structured to include the following Departments in addition to the Office of the Executive Secretary: (a) Directorate of Administration and Finance; (b) Directorate of Planning and Project Execution; and (c) Directorate of Documentation and Information. 
The Directorate of Planning and Project Execution is responsible for two major projects: (1) Inter-State (Hydrological) Forecasting Centre (HYDRONIGER); and (2) the Japan Agricultural Land Development Agency (JALDA) Project. 
One of the most important achievements of NBA in the area of follow-up, collection, and dissemination of hydrological data is the HYDRONIGER Project, which has been completed through Phase II. HYDRONIGER has established an operational hydrological forecasting system aimed at: (i) Helping the riverine states of the River Niger to control flooding; (ii) Ensuring security of river navigation; (iii) Promoting development of agricultural production; and (iv) Increasing the output of hydro-electric dams. Thus far, HYDRONIGER has produced the following results: (i) Construction of seven National Forecasting Centres and an Inter-State Forecasting Centre in Niamey; (ii) Providing the Centres with logistical resources and hydrological equipment; (iii) Recruitment of National Officers to render the Inter-State Forecasting Centre operational; (iv) Establishment of a data collection system in real-time utilizing tele-transmission; (v) Establishment of an Hydrological Data Bank containing recordings, measurements, heights, and discharges of almost all the stations; (vi) Development of mathematical models for hydrological forecasting capable of forecasting the heights and discharges within a time-span of up to ninety days; (vii) Establishment of a data-processing system designed solely for control and management of the data bank; (viii) Training of technicians and engineers of Member States for durations ranging from two weeks up to two years; (ix) Preparation and dissemination of hydrological forecasting, technical notes and hydrological yearbooks; and (x) Preparing the transfer of the Mathematical Model of the River Niger to the HYDRONIGER Building in Niamey. 
The JALDA project commenced, with a five-year study, in 1985. The study was conducted with the cooperation of the Niger Basin Authority which comprises the nine countries within the Niger River Basin. The objective was to collect basic data to facilitate drawing up of a plan of desertification control and deciding on the future course for agricultural development. A secondary objective of the study was to investigate the possibilities for agricultural development with a view to proposing measures against desertification in the Niger Basin upon completion of the study in 1990. In July, 1990, a Protocol agreement was signed between JALDA, NBA, and the Government of Niger to commence a Pilot Project on desertification control measures at Torodi which is located 70 Km from Niamey. The duration of the Project is six years and it is expected to result in a technical proposal for implementation of desertification control measures based on use of water resources and on development of agriculture. The JALDA Pilot Project currently being conducted in Torodi is expected to go beyond the research stage in order to gradually expand to cover all Member States of the NBA. 
The activities of the Directorate of Documentation and Information began with the signing, in 1993, a of a Protocol Agreement with the International Bank for Information on the French-Speaking States (BIEF). The BIEF is a decentralized program of the Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique (ACCT) to which is delegated the Documentation-Dévelopment component of a data-base on all aspects related to management of the great African rivers. Under this arrangement, the NBA Documentation Centre is becoming an institution for the collection and acquisition of data on the River Niger. The BIEF has provided the Directorate with data-processing equipment and also provided the training in CDS/ISIS software. Bibliographic Bulletins have already been published and sent to all Member States as well as sister organizations, this in addition to the publication of Reports on Council Meetings. 
UPDATED:  June 11, 1996
Source: http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/decdo/nba.htm

Short Name:	NBA
Full Name:	Niger Basin Authority
Purpose:	general
Established:	21-Nov-1980
Entered into force:
Type:	body, multi-lateral
Place where established:	Faranah, Guinea
Schedule to expire:
Goals and Objectives:	The NBA is responsible for the harmonization and coordination of national development policies; the formulation of the general development policy of the Basin; the elaboration and implementation of an integrated development plan of the Basin; the initiation and monitoring of an orderly and rational regional policy for the utilization of the waters of the Niger River; the design and conduct of studies, researches and surveys; the formulation of plans, the construction, exploitation and maintenance of structure, and the elaboration of projects.
Related Legislation:	[25 Nov 1964] Agreement concerning the Niger River Commission and the Navigation and Transport on the River Niger (entered into force 12 Apr 1966). [21 Nov 1980] Protocol relating to the Development Fund of the Niger Basin (entered into force on 03 Dec 1982) [21 Nov 1980] Convention Creating the Niger Basin Authority (entered into force 03 Dec 1982)
Internet source:

Secretariat's address	Niger Basin Authority B.P. 729 Niamey Niger
Telephone	+227-72-3102
Fax	+227-73-5310
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