The Forum aims to strengthen the institutional and operational anchoring of the VBA for a better management of the transboundary water resources.
The meeting was officially chaired by Prof. Abou YOUSSOUF, Deputy Secretary General representing the Beninese Ministry of Water and Mines, who thanked the VBA and its partners, for coming to Cotonou for this 4th meeting of the Forum of Parties. He urged the participants and invited them to work to accelerate the process of setting up National Focal Structures in their different countries.
The Stakeholder Forum made among others the recommendations inviting countries to pay their annual contributions to the operating budget of the Executive Management of VBA at the right time, to provide more information on pollution issues to enable VBA to make decisions; take appropriate measures to control all forms of pollution of water resources in the Volta Basin in order to reduce them in accordance with WHO standards.
The participants also urged the ABV to set up and strengthen the system for periodic assessment of the quality of raw water (groundwater and surface water) in relation to the development of artisanal and industrial mining activities in the basin; and carry out a study to identify the types of water resource users in the national portions of the basin.
GWP-WA will assist VBA to produce a knowledge product with the main results of the Stakeholders Forum.
