IWRM NEWS OiEAU 2021

Project stakeholders National partner Mono Basin Authority (MBA); General Directorate of Water, Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water of Benin; Directorate of Water Resources, Ministry of Water and Village Hydraulics of Togo. Project team OiEau expert: P. Seguin pS-Eau expert: P. Mouton Key information Location Mono River Basin (24,300 km², 3.5 million inhabitants) Key words IWRM, Planning, Water Information Systems, Decentralised Cooperation, Capacity Building Objectives Enhance ownership of IWRM concepts and tools, Develop planning documents on a hydrographic scale (SDAGE), Develop water information systems Deploy decentralised cooperation actions in synergy. Implementation schedule 2018-2021 : Phase III Project financed by Rhône Méditerranée Corse Water Agency Outcomes and prospects Main current results Independent development by the Directorate of Water Resources of Togo, with the support of the project, of the first phase of the Mono SDAGE in its Togolese part. Proposal for governance tools (e.g. Rules of Procedure of Basin Committees). Construction of water information systems. Setting up a South-South experience exchange network (Benin, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Togo). Creation of a directory of decentralised cooperation and international solidarity projects in the Mono basin. Support for a dozen projects and decentralised cooperation stakeholders in the basin. Prospects The capacity building of theministries responsible for water and operationalisation of theMBA are revealing fruitful prospects for collaboration between organisations in the areas of governance, planning, data sharing and also motivating French partnerships in theMono basinwithin a coherent framework. In parallel, the downstream incubation of thewater and climate project could serve as an example for the entire basin. Detailed project description On 4 July 2014, the Mono Basin Authority (MBA) was created by the Ministers' Council of the two countries concerned (Benin and Togo). The emergence of a new African transboundary basin organisation has motivated the Rhone- Mediterranean-Corsica Water Agency to boost its implementation. Phase I of the project started in 2014. The MBA has taken a long time to become operational. Its inauguration ceremony took place on 31 October 2019 in Cotonou. The project's originality lies in the association of OiEau and PS-Eau (water solidarity programme) from the start, in order to link institutional and decentralised cooperation in the same river basin, institutional strengthening aimed at a more coherent deployment of decentralised cooperation actions. As proof, in parallel, a project incubation related to the "100 water and climate projects for Africa" is under way with the Community of coastal lagoons municipalities in the downstream part of the Mono basin (South- West of Benin). The project initially focused on capacity building for water ministries in both countries in particular throughworkshops on IWRM concepts and tools, support for the development of autonomous planning documents, development of information systems, experience sharingwith France and the sub-region countries. In addition to this institutional support, the implementation of international solidarity projects under the Oudin Santini law has been facilitated in the river basin. SUPPORT FOR INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE MONO RIVER BASIN BENIN, TOGO 4