Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire – 26 November 2025
The Mano River Union (MRU), in collaboration with the ECOWAS Water Resources Management Centre (WRMC/ECOWAS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with the support of the BRIDGE Programme, held the National Validation Workshop on the Legal Texts Establishing the Transboundary River Basins Management Office of the Mano River Union (TRBMO-MRU) on 25–26 November 2025 at the Ibis Plateau Hotel in Abidjan
1_RAPPORT ATELIER DE VALIDATION…
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This workshop was organized within the framework of the regional process for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in West Africa, initiated following the Ouagadougou Conference in 1998, and aims to strengthen transboundary cooperation for the sustainable management of shared water resources.
Chaired by Ms. Marie-Gisèle YESSOH, Technical Advisor in charge of International Cooperation, representing the Minister of Water and Forests of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, the workshop brought together 28 participants from relevant national technical ministries, as well as representatives of the MRU and ECOWAS.
The main objectives of the workshop were to:
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review, amend and validate the draft legal texts establishing the TRBMO-MRU (protocol, organic text and administrative and financial procedures manual);
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identify national priorities and specificities in line with regional objectives;
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formulate recommendations for the adoption of the documents by the Council of Ministers and the operationalization of the Office.
At the end of the deliberations, participants conducted a detailed article-by-article review of the legal texts and formulated key recommendations to strengthen legal coherence, institutional governance, financing mechanisms and geographical balance within the Office. The administrative and financial procedures manual was recommended for comprehensive revision in order to improve its clarity and operational effectiveness.
The outcomes of this workshop represent a major milestone towards the effective establishment of the Transboundary River Basins Management Office, a strategic instrument for joint management of shared river basins within the MRU area, contributing to sustainable development, conflict prevention related to water resources, and improved livelihoods for riparian communities.
The recommendations from this national workshop will feed into the regional process and support the submission of the validated texts to the competent decision-making bodies, notably the Council of Ministers of the Mano River Union, for final adoption.