The Volta Basin Authority (ABV) held from July 11 to 13, 2019, in Ouagadougou, a regional workshop to validate the draft annexes and the Action Plan for the ratification and implementation of the Charter of water from the Volta Basin. Chaired by Mr. Alassoun SORI, Secretary General of the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, representing the Minister, this workshop is part of phase 3 of the process of developing the Basin Water Charter of the Volta.
The representatives of the VBA member countries made up of the National Focal Points and the GEF operational Focal Points had seventy-two hours to examine, amend and then validate the three draft annexes below:
- the appendix relating to the methods of production, collection, exchange and use of data and information;
- the annex relating to the prior notification procedure;
- the appendix relating to the attributions, composition, organization and functioning of the specific bodies created by the water charter.
Also, the participants exchanged on the draft Action Plan for the ratification and implementation of the Water Charter, with as a starting point, the adoption of the Water Charter by the Conference of Heads of State and Government. This plan is broken down into three (03) strategic axes which are as follows:
– Axis 1: Ratification of the Water Charter;
– Axis 2: Implementation of the Water Charter;
– Axis 3: Communication, popularization, awareness of the content of the Water Charter.
In this regard, the Minister, represented by his Secretary General “ reassured the participants of his commitment to work to facilitate the timely adoption of this Charter and its annexes by the Summit of Heads of State and Government and finally , its ratification by the Parliaments of each of the six (06) Member States ” .
At the end of the three days of work, the participants validated the three draft annexes and the ratification action plan, thus putting an end to the activities of the third phase and at the same time marking a temporary halt in the preparation process. of the Charter, a benchmark legal tool which will now govern water governance in the Volta basin.
