OSS mission in Niger Great prospects for future cooperation, April 2022

An OSS delegation, led by the Executive Secretary, Mr. Nabil Ben Khatra, took the Steering Committee extended to the Council of Ministers in charge of the W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) Complex management to hold a number of exchange and courtesy visits with senior officials of the Republic of Niger, as well as with partner institutions.

Indeed, during the courtesy visit he paid to H.E. Mr. Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, Prime Minister of the Republic of Niger, the OSS ES stressed out the long and profound collaboration between the OSS and Niger. He also underlined the role that the Organization is playing as an accredited agency to mobilize financial resources for climate projects. The Prime Minister put particular emphasis on the opportunities that African countries should grasp such as the Great Green Wall and reminded that the latest IPCC survey reported on the major climate challenges ahead of the continent.

The OSS ES also held meetings with H.E. Mrs. Garama Saratou Rabiou Inoussa, Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development of Niger and her team and reviewed the prospects for strengthening collaboration between both parties, as well as the possibilities for the Niger to contribute to the Organization working.

Discussions at the headquarters of the 3N Initiative with Mr. Ali BETY, High Commissioner, as well as the Secretary General, gave rise to promising cooperation prospects.

The various meetings gave the opportunity to the Executive Secretary to highlight the historical partnership with the Niger, restate the OSS commitment for deeper cooperation and will to support the efforts to address the climate challenges of the African countries.
Besides, the delegation met with the Executive Secretary of the Niger Basin Authority; they discussed the prospects for collaboration, especially in adaptation and sustainable management of water resources and associated ecosystems to improve the living conditions of the populations of the basin.
Finally, the delegation made a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of Agrhymet, and sat for a working session held as part of the AdaptWAP project, on the design and implementation of the Multi-Risk Early Warning System (droughts, floods and bush fires) for disaster management in the W-Arly –Pendjari Complex (WAP) shared by Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso
This mission made it possible to officially hand over the WAP Complex climate change adaptation plan to the Council of Ministers members. This document, which is a support tool for the sustainable management of the complex to reduce the effects of climate change and strengthen the resilience of local populations, was recently adopted by the three countries.