On Thursday, 7 August 2025, in Koudougou in the Nado Region of Burkina Faso, a national workshop organised by the Volta Basin Authority (VBA) in collaboration with the Bankui Regional Secretariat (SGR) was held under the patronage of the Minister of Environment, Water and Sanitation and chaired by the Governor of the Nado Region, represented by Ms Adjara KIENTEGA / OUEDRAOGO, Secretary General of the Bankui Region (SGR), a national workshop organised by the Volta Basin Authority (VBA) in collaboration with the Global Water Partnership in West Africa (GWP-AO) and the VBA National Focal Point (NFP) of Burkina Faso.
This national workshop was organised as part of the implementation of activities under the project ‘Reversing the Degradation of Ecosystems and Waters in the Volta Basin’ or REWarD – Volta River Basin, funded by the GEF through UNEP and IUCN, aimed to establish a National Coordination of Users (CNU) of Natural Resources in the Volta Basin in Burkina Faso.
It brought together ninety participants, including representatives of organisations of users of natural resources in the Volta Basin, territorial and customary authorities from the national portion of the Volta Basin in Burkina Faso, experts from the regional directorates of the VBA-NFP member sectors (Energy and Mines, Livestock, Environment, Fisheries, Territorial Administration, etc.) and executives from VBA and GWP-AO.
During this workshop, the pre-selected organisations were validated, the constitutive texts, the capacity-building plan and the initial work plan were adopted, and the Executive Board of the National Coordination of Users was elected, comprising fourteen (14) members. It also served as a framework for laying the groundwork for official recognition by the administrative authorities.
Ms. SGR of Bankui did not fail to emphasise the importance of this newly established structure. She stated: “This is an essential milestone towards better coordination between community structures and water and natural resource management institutions at all levels.
She also expressed her gratitude to VBA and GWP-AO for this initiative and extended her sincere thanks to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
She also expressed her gratitude to VBA and GWP-AO for this initiative and extended her sincere thanks to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Dr Dibi MILLOGO, Deputy Executive Director of the Volta Basin Authority, congratulated the newly elected team. He reiterated the vision behind the establishment of this Coordination, which is to structure the voice of natural resource users in order to ensure their representation in decision-making bodies and promote equitable and sustainable development.
Indeed, the CNU should promote concerted, equitable and sustainable governance by facilitating the prevention of conflicts of use, the optimisation of shared benefits and the preservation of ecosystems for future generations.
Mr. Eloi Jean Prosper NOMBRE, President of the Executive Board, while mentioning the major challenges to be addressed in this national portion of the Basin, made a commitment to work with all the members of his Board for future generations. He stated: ‘There are many challenges to be overcome in order to preserve resources for future generations. Therefore, my team and I will work hand in hand to meet these challenges.’
It is structured around four components:
- Component 1: Improving the knowledge base and developing management tools for informed decision-making;
- Component 2: Strengthening regional and national cross-border planning and coordination capacities;
- Component 3: Strengthening ecosystem resilience for sustainable livelihoods in the Volta Basin;
- Component 4: Knowledge management and sharing, and effective monitoring and evaluation.
