Niamey, December 10-12, 2025
The Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) is organizing a regional workshop in Niamey, Niger, from December 10 to 12, 2025, to share experiences on best practices in the collaborative management of groundwater resources. This workshop is part of the NB-ITTAS project: “Improving IWRM, Knowledge-Based Management and Governance in the Niger Basin and the Iullemeden-Taoudéni/Tanezrouft Aquifer System,” funded by the GEF and implemented by UNDP, UNEP, ABN, OSS, UNIDO, and UNESCO.
Bringing together technical and institutional representatives from Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Nigeria, this workshop falls within a context of urgent need for sustainable and collaborative water resource management to contend with the growing impacts of climate change: rainfall variability, extreme weather events, and pressure on water use that threatens access to water for populations, particularly in rural areas.
Opened by Mrs. Soumaya MOUHLI, Hydraulic Engineer and representative of the OSS, Mr. Issoufou MAIGARY, Director General at the Directorate General of Water Resources and representative of the Ministry of Environment, Water Resources and Sanitation of Niger, and Mr. Ibro ADAMOU, representative of the Niger Basin Authority, this event will make it possible for the OSS and its partners to build regional capacities, capitalize the results from pilot sites, and consolidate proven approaches to shared groundwater management.
The national experiences to be shared aim to build a common ground for knowledge and identify concrete solutions to improve the water resilience of the Niger Basin and the ITTAS aquifer system.
Presentations, experience sharing, quizzes, and interactive sessions will help support effective, equitable, and sustainable integrated water resource management for the benefit of communities and ecosystems.
By providing a space for dialogue and mutual learning, the OSS reaffirms its commitment to supporting member countries in developing operational and resilient responses to the water and climate challenges affecting the Sahel-Saharan region.