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TRANSBOUNDARY WATER MANAGEMENTParticipation in the management of theNiger, Senegal and Congo river basinsChristophe Brachet and Daniel Valensuela, Deputy Secretaries, International Network of Basin OrganizationsThere are 276 transboundary rivers and lakes and morethan 300 aquifers shared by riparian countries aroundthe world. Transboundary basins cover 45 per cent ofthe world’s lands, linking two or more countries through waterresources located above and below the Earth’s surface. Manyof the world’s populations and ecosystems therefore dependon water resources crossing national borders. Emerging crisesrelated to population growth, climate change, urbanization,increasing demand for energy and food or regional instabilityaffect water resources management. The International Networkof Basin Organizations (INBO) appreciates how this situationbecomes more complex with transboundary waters.The willingness of states to cooperate regarding water managementmay derive from specific issues or common goals, regional orcommunity dynamics or a risk of conflict. Establishingtransboundary basin organizations broadly fosterscooperation. Whatever the structure model of the organization,it is advisable that mechanisms are planned topromote public and stakeholder participation andsupported by methods and means for consulting thepeople concerned. Such mechanisms are implemented bycountries and basin organizations of three major transboundaryrivers in Africa: the Niger, Senegal and Congo.The Niger Basin Authority (NBA), established in1964 by the nine states sharing the Niger River Basin(Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast,Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria) led to a sharedvision process marked by the adoption in 2008 of anAction Plan for Sustainable Development and a WaterSchoolchildren around the Niger Basin model during the first regional forum of basin resources users[ 74 ]