[INBO P2P project] Field Perspectives from the Peers #1 – Interview with Mr Ousmane HANE (OMVG)

As part of the implementation of the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) project, the International Network of Basin Organisations (INBO) is launching the interview series‘P2P – Field Perspectives from the Peers’, which highlights the pairs involved in the project, their respective contexts and the challenges they face.

Funded by the European Union (DG INTPA), the Peer-to-Peer project is the first programme of the Twin Basin Initiative, led by INBO, with the support of the African Network of Basin Organisations (ANBO). It aims to strengthen integrated and sustainable water resources management (IWRM) by promoting cooperation, the sharing of experiences and the development of skills among basin organisations worldwide.

Now in its operational phase, the project is based on 21 pairings bringing together national or transboundary basin organisations, public administrations, academic institutions and scientific partners from Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia. The common objective of these partnerships is to learn from one another and strengthen capacities and practices in basin management.

In this context, the series ‘P2P – Field Perspectives from the Peers’ highlights the practical experiences of the stakeholders involved in these collaborations.

Presentation of the OMVG and its pairings

This episode features the Organisation for the Development of the Gambia River (OMVG), a transboundary body comprising The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.

During this interview, Mr Ousmane HANE, Secretary General of the OMVG, addresses several key themes, including the challenges of transboundary management of the Gambia River basin, the OMVG’s priorities regarding water governance, and the concrete benefits of twinning within the Peer-to-Peer project.

He also highlighted the importance of sharing experiences between peers, the common challenges faced by river basin organisations, and the opportunities offered by this cooperation to strengthen integrated water resources management.

The OMVG is involved in two multi-stakeholder pairings that illustrate the diversity of the cooperation initiatives established. The first links the OMVG with the Adour-Garonne Water Agency (France), the Organisation for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS) and Assane Seck University in Ziguinchor (Senegal), focusing on themes such as governance, water information systems (WIS) and adaptation to climate change.

The second pairing brings together the Mono Basin Authority (ABM) (Benin/Togo), the Syrdarya River Basin Organisation (Tajikistan) and the OMVG, and focuses on data sharing and WIS, the development of management plans and adaptation to climate change, with a view to intercontinental cooperation and capacity building.