Ouagadougou – An Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) technical study tour for DR Congo water experts was organised in Burkina Faso from 7-13 February 2016. Aiming to promote knowledge sharing and capacity building, the tour provided an opportunity for DRC experts to learn from Burkina Faso’s experience in the development and operationalisation of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM); recognized as a model example in Sub-Saharan Africa.
TThe delegation from DR Congo included three experts from the Environment Ministry’s Water Resources Directorate and a civil society representative from the Lukaya watershed user association (AUBRL). Hosted by the NGO Association Eau, Développement et Environnement (AEDE) in collaboration with the Permanent Secretariat of the National IWRM Action Plan (SP-PAGIRE, Ministry of Agriculture and Hydraulic Resources), the DRC delegation met with water basin agencies, Local Water Committees, as well as NGOs and other organisations.
Burkina Faso is one of the pioneering countries on IWRM in Africa with over twenty years of experience. The country provides a very good showcase on IWRM planning and implementation, particularly instructive for Francophone African countries where the approach is relatively less developed. An almost textbook-like approach to IWRM was followed in Burkina Faso, starting with a national water policy, water law, and five year IWRM action plan leading to the establishment of drainage basin authorities and decentralised local water committees.
Burkina Faso is one of the pioneering countries in Africa on Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)
As Burkina Faso’s national IWRM coordinator put it “Water is life; IWRM is life insurance”. IWRM in Burkina Faso is strongly coupled with protecting drinking water supply, particularly on securing water sources for urban centres. This shows a strong parallel with DRC’s priorities, which are also largely centred on drinking water supply, particularly in terms of financial investments.
IWRM represents a ‘paradigm shift’ and requires continuous awareness raising and education over the long-term, including of water engineers and experts.
The DR Congo delegation expressed a high level of satisfaction with the study tour. The visit provided important insights for the DR Congo experts, particularly following the recent promulgation of a national water law in January 2016, which is based on IWRM and catchment level management. The Congolese delegation as well as the host organisation, AEDE, expressed their intention to continue the dialogue and collaboration, including potential follow-up exchange visits.
This study tour was part of the Kinshasa integrated catchment management project funded by UNDA. For more information on the study tour, read the full report (in French), or to find out more about the project, please see our factsheet (in French).
