An Overview of the Development Challenges and Constraints of the Niger Basin and Possible Intervention Strategies

Download or read book An Overview of the Development Challenges and Constraints of the Niger Basin and Possible Intervention Strategies written by Regassa E. Namara and published by IWMI. This book was released on 2011-09-14 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Niger River Basin covers 7.5% of the African continent and is shared between nine riparian countries. The human population of the basin is growing at an average annual rate of about 3%, which makes the Niger River Basin one of the areas with the highest fertility rates in the world. The desert margin is expanding; climate change is negatively impacting rainfall; and urbanization, industrialization, and the human and livestock population are threatening the quantity and quality of available water resources. The basin population already suffers from chronic poverty. Based on a literature review, this paper suggests some key water-related and other interventions that are capable of easing the basin’s development challenges.