Restoration of Lake Chad now Pan-African project
The six member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) have resolved to take the restoration of the basin as a Pan-African project.
They expressed their willingness to implement the roadmap for the restoration of the shrinking Lake Chad.
Their resolve is called the Abuja Charter as declared in a communiqué issued at the end of the three-day International Conference on Lake Chad in Abuja, on Wednesday.
The LCBC countries are Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Libya, Niger and Nigeria.
The communiqué signed by Hajiya Khadijah Abba-Ibrahim, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, called on all the LCBC member states to demonstrate high political will to save the Lake Chad region.
They urged member-nations to implement integrated measures such as afforestation, biotechnology, drop irrigation among others to minimise water evaporation from the basin.
Lake Chad Basin lost over 90 per cent of its surface area in 30 years. Photo Source: media.licdn.com
According to the communiqué, members are to establish an economic free trade zone to serve as a hub for trade, job creation and poverty alleviation in the region.
It commended the Italian Government for the provision of 1.5 million Euros for the feasibility study and best viable options for the restoration of the Lake Chad area.
Prof. Salihu Mustafa, a Nigerian, who spoke on behalf of member states made recommendations that there were no other options to restore the shrinking lake if not the option of water transfer.
He called on all stakeholders to take the project as a pan-African goal and achieve results.
Mustafa said it was important for the African Development Bank to mobilise the proposed $50 billion to fund the Inter-Basin Water transfer in the region.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference came to a close with the appointment of Ambassador Mamman Nuhu, as the Executive Secretary of the LCBC.
Nuhu replaces Engr. Sanusi Abdullahi, who also served as the Head of Mission of the Multi-National Joint Task Force. (NAN)
By Tosin Kolade
