5 May 2025, Cameroon – In a significant effort to strengthen inclusive water governance across one of Africa’s most fragile regions, the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and IUCN have released the Simplified Practical Guide to the Lake Chad Basin Water Charter. Developed through IUCN’s BRIDGE initiative, the guide is designed to make the Water Charter more accessible to those who depend most directly on the Basin’s resources.
Adopted in 2012, the Lake Chad Basin Water Charter provides the legal framework for the equitable and sustainable management of shared water resources across Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, Niger and Nigeria. The Basin supports over 45 million people, yet the Charter’s technical nature has made it challenging for many local stakeholders to understand and engage with its content. The new guide addresses this gap. Tailored for local administrators, farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolk and community leaders, it presents the Charter’s key principles and annexes in clear, straightforward language. It’s goal is to foster community-level understanding and ownership of the Charter, enabling more inclusive and effective implementation.
