470
L. Ferrini et al.
6 Results
6.1 Inclusion of Civil Society and User Groups in Basin
Governance of the Niger Basin Authority (Case Study 1)
Civil society involvement in water management in the Niger basin dates back to the
1980s, when the construction of large dams was increasingly met by resistance at the
local level. Local communities blocked work during the construction of dams such
as the Talo Dam on the Bani (a major tributary of the Niger). It took more than two
decades, however, for the role of civil society to be institutionalized. In 2005, the NBA
formally recognized the need to involve civil society in the governance of the basin,
and in 2006 civil society was officially recognized as a stakeholder and given a formal
platform in the National User Coordinations (NUCs) and, in 2007, its participation
mechanisms. The functioning of NUCs was reviewed in 2009, leading to a number
of adjustments and signing of new NUC Memoranda of Understanding in 2014.
This section focuses on the 2005–2014 period to compare the formal provisions for
stakeholder participation to its manifestation in reality in relation to capacity building
and vulnerability. The section relies heavily on the analysis conducted jointly by GIZ
and ABN (Edl 2017) on state of cooperation among the NBA Executive Secretariat,
civil society, and national focal structures.
The NBA (2010:3) defines the objectives of civil society in the NUCs as, “the
users of the natural resources of the basin [to] participate in various decision-making
stages: planning, program implementation, evaluation, etc.; and contribute, through
their actions as structured organizations, to the sustainable development of the basin
and in particular the actions of the Development Plan and Investment Plan which
may concern them.” On paper, this corresponds to a high level of participation (level
6 according to Arnstein 1969–Partnership). The scale of participation is defined by
the geographical extent of the NBA mandate, which is the entire river basin; the
type of stakeholders concentrates on main users. Users are considered to be a varied
but “structured” body of stakeholders, able to make decisions and implement actions
throughout the chain of water management activities. Peripheral reference is made of
investments and activities at a more local level, presumably touching specific groups
of users. The capacity required to participate beyond civil society participation objectives in NUCs is high, including mobilization, participation, coordination, defining
interests, brokerage, planning, implementation, and evaluation. It also formalizes the
definition of users.
In 2009, following a series of false starts, the NBA launched a study on capacity
building and strengthening the involvement of civil society in the process of sustainable development of the Niger Basin. This study notes that the NUCs “operate timidly
and are not aware of their roles and their anchoring in the process” for sustainable
development of the Niger Basin. In addition, NUCs are reported to lack “an initial
financial allocation to support the installation and operation” and suffer from “the
absence of a formal commitment and effective involvement of Member States to
provide support for the establishment and operation of the NUCs” (Tchouplaou et al.
L. Ferrini et al.
6 Results
6.1 Inclusion of Civil Society and User Groups in Basin
Governance of the Niger Basin Authority (Case Study 1)
Civil society involvement in water management in the Niger basin dates back to the
1980s, when the construction of large dams was increasingly met by resistance at the
local level. Local communities blocked work during the construction of dams such
as the Talo Dam on the Bani (a major tributary of the Niger). It took more than two
decades, however, for the role of civil society to be institutionalized. In 2005, the NBA
formally recognized the need to involve civil society in the governance of the basin,
and in 2006 civil society was officially recognized as a stakeholder and given a formal
platform in the National User Coordinations (NUCs) and, in 2007, its participation
mechanisms. The functioning of NUCs was reviewed in 2009, leading to a number
of adjustments and signing of new NUC Memoranda of Understanding in 2014.
This section focuses on the 2005–2014 period to compare the formal provisions for
stakeholder participation to its manifestation in reality in relation to capacity building
and vulnerability. The section relies heavily on the analysis conducted jointly by GIZ
and ABN (Edl 2017) on state of cooperation among the NBA Executive Secretariat,
civil society, and national focal structures.
The NBA (2010:3) defines the objectives of civil society in the NUCs as, “the
users of the natural resources of the basin [to] participate in various decision-making
stages: planning, program implementation, evaluation, etc.; and contribute, through
their actions as structured organizations, to the sustainable development of the basin
and in particular the actions of the Development Plan and Investment Plan which
may concern them.” On paper, this corresponds to a high level of participation (level
6 according to Arnstein 1969–Partnership). The scale of participation is defined by
the geographical extent of the NBA mandate, which is the entire river basin; the
type of stakeholders concentrates on main users. Users are considered to be a varied
but “structured” body of stakeholders, able to make decisions and implement actions
throughout the chain of water management activities. Peripheral reference is made of
investments and activities at a more local level, presumably touching specific groups
of users. The capacity required to participate beyond civil society participation objectives in NUCs is high, including mobilization, participation, coordination, defining
interests, brokerage, planning, implementation, and evaluation. It also formalizes the
definition of users.
In 2009, following a series of false starts, the NBA launched a study on capacity
building and strengthening the involvement of civil society in the process of sustainable development of the Niger Basin. This study notes that the NUCs “operate timidly
and are not aware of their roles and their anchoring in the process” for sustainable
development of the Niger Basin. In addition, NUCs are reported to lack “an initial
financial allocation to support the installation and operation” and suffer from “the
absence of a formal commitment and effective involvement of Member States to
provide support for the establishment and operation of the NUCs” (Tchouplaou et al.