Representatives from seven major African river basin organizations met in Saly as part of the DYNOBA project, an initiative aimed at strengthening sustainable and collaborative water resource management in Africa in the face of accelerating climate change. The project is funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) and implemented by the International Office for Water (IOW), in partnership with the African Network of River Basin Organizations (ANROB).

According to Dr. Thierno Ndour, Director of Environment and Sustainable Development at the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS), "the African continent is warming faster than other regions of the world, even though it contributes little to global emissions. Extreme weather events are becoming more and more frequent. In this context, basin organizations must pool their expertise to strengthen the resilience of communities."

Established in 2002, the RAOB now brings together organizations covering nearly 64% of African territory, including the OMVS (Senegal River Basin Development Organization), the OMVG (Gambia River Basin Development Organization), the Niger Basin Authority (NBA), the Volta Basin Authority (VBA), the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), the Congo Basin Commission (CICOS), and the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI). The workshop in Saly is dedicated to strengthening water information systems, a strategic lever for sustainable water management.

"We cannot manage water without knowing it. We need reliable data on available volumes, their quality, uses, pollution and the state of ecosystems," stresses Christophe Brachet, OIE's Africa director.

Participants are working in particular on the African Water Information System (SAIO) managed by the RAOB secretariat at the OMVS; the harmonization of data through a common geomatics repository; the integration of spatial hydrology to measure water levels and quality in real time using satellites; and the use of artificial intelligence for forecasting and decision support.

This meeting is also part of the PIR2PIR program, which promotes the exchange of experiences between organizations in African river basins and with other regions of the world, particularly Latin America and Asia. The objective is to better equip African organizations to protect, share, and sustainably manage water resources, which are essential for the food, energy, and health security of riverside populations.

"Cross-border cooperation and shared knowledge are the keys to ensuring access to water today and for future generations," says Dr. Ndour.