Guinea Validates the Founding Texts of the Transboundary River Basin Management Office of the Mano River Union (OGBFT-UFM)**
Conakry, Republic of Guinea — 13 November 2025
A national workshop to validate the legal texts establishing the Transboundary River Basin Management Office of the Mano River Union (OGBFT-UFM) was held from 12 to 13 November 2025 at the Atlantic View Hotel in Conakry. Organized under the auspices of the Mano River Union (MRU), in collaboration with the Water Resources Management Center (WRMC/CGRE) of ECOWAS and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the workshop was supported by the BRIDGE Programme.
A national consultation framework for the sustainable management of water resources
The workshop brought together around thirty participants representing several key ministries: Natural Resources, African Integration, Justice, and National Transition, as well as experts from ECOWAS-WRMC and the MRU.
The main objective was to validate the draft institutional, organizational, and operational texts of the OGBFT-UFM, including the protocol, organic texts, the administrative and financial procedures manual, and the operationalization plan.
Major outcomes achieved
Over two days of work, the participants carried out:
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A thorough review and amendment of the legal texts related to the creation of the Office;
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The adaptation of these documents to national and subregional realities;
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The formulation of strategic recommendations to ensure the effective implementation of the OGBFT-UFM.
Discussions also highlighted the environmental challenges facing the region’s shared river basins, including deforestation, artisanal mining, water pollution, bush fires, and limited institutional harmonization among Member States.
Key recommendations adopted
The main orientations adopted to strengthen cooperative governance of the river basins include:
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Revision of the hierarchy of legal norms and clarification of institutional links between the Office and the MRU General Secretariat;
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Integration of a Water Charter;
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Consideration of innovative climate financing mechanisms;
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Establishment of a regional database and a water resources observatory;
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Creation of national focal structures in each Member State;
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Harmonization of financial contributions in line with decisions of the Council of Ministers;
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Revision of the Strategic Action Plan (PES), with a 10-year horizon and a three-year review cycle.
A strong commitment to enhanced regional cooperation
At the end of the workshop, participants expressed a strong commitment to harmonized and sustainable governance of shared water resources. This national validation marks a significant step toward the effective establishment of the OGBFT-UFM, a strategic instrument for environmental stability, socio-economic development, and climate resilience within the MRU–ECOWAS region.