Nigeria, others to sign water charter to boost agriculture

Nigeria and five other member countries of the Lake Chad River Basin Commission have concluded plans to create the Lake Chad Basin Water Charter as part of efforts to boost agriculture and water resources management.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Ambassador Godknows Igali, confirmed the development during a sensitization workshop in Abuja.

The Lake Chad Basin Commission was established in May, 1964. It comprises six member countries namely Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Libya, Niger, and the Chad Republic.

Nigeria has potential to irrigate about 3.1billion hectares of farmland but only 150,000 hectares has been fully developed. In fact, only about 5,000 hectares is being irrigated under formal water control.

It was learnt that irrigation had the potential of increasing agricultural productivity as much as ten-folds.

However, Godknows, who was represented by the Director, Human Resources, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs. Lami Bagaiya, explained that the charter would facilitate a sustainable management of the Lake Chad water resources for both for irrigation and agricultural purposes.

He said, “The Water Charter is one of the programmes of the LCBC. The Water Charter of the Lake Chad Basin has its basic objectives as the equity utilisation of regulation of the waters of the Lake Chad; the development of tools for trans-boundary water management with a view to reducing poverty and socio-economic development.

“The water constitutes a binding framework, the global purpose of which is sustainable development of the Lake Chad Basin by means of integrated, equitable, coordinated management of the River’s shared water resources and environment. This framework advocates good governance, sub-regional cooperation and solidarity based on the common interests of the member states.”

He added, “The National Stakeholders Workshop is a follow up to the Regional Validation Workshop held by member states. The workshop is aimed at sensitising and creating awareness on the creation of Water Charter, which will serve an instrument for equitable utilisation of resources of the basin.”