Mission
Our Priority :
To reduce wastewater discharges and pollution loads in the Niger River Basin through a systematic and integrated approach in partnership with the private industrial sector
- Sustainable solutions
- Eco-innovation
- Responsible consumption
- Process control
- Energy saving
- Water saving
Mission
The Test-Niger Project, Component N°3 of the Nb-Ittas Regional Project
The project “Improving IWRM, Knowledge-Based Management and Governance of the Niger Basin and Iullemeden-Taoudeni-Tanezrouft Aquifer System (NB-ITTAS)” is a regional project funded by the Global Environment Facility and jointly implemented by UNDP and UNEP to support 11 West African countries (Algeria, Benin, Burkina, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria).
These countries are partnering with the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) and the Sahara and Sahel Observatory to support the implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Niger River Basin, to broaden the knowledge base needed to improve the management of the Iullemeden-Taoudeni/Tanezrouft Aquifer System (SAIT), and to promote joint management of surface and groundwater in the Basin.
The overall objective of this UNDP-UNEP-GEF project is to support the concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM) for the benefit of communities and ecosystem resilience.
Supporting the Modernization of Industrial Units in the Niger Basin Countries
The secondary sector contributes to more than 30% of the GDP of the Niger Basin countries. The boom in cotton cultivation and the promotion of certain economic activities in the agriculture, livestock and fisheries sectors in particular have helped to raise the level of industrialization in the Basin, making industries the levers for wealth creation, growth and employment.
Despite this decisive role in the region’s economy, the competitiveness of the industries is penalized by a series of factors, in particular the outdatedness of the processes, the obsolescence of the equipment, the low optimality of the production processes and costs.
Reducing the Environmental Footprint of Actors Operating Around the Niger Basin
The environmental impact of industries in the rivers of the Niger Basin is not negligible. The penalizing factors, combined with the over-consumption of production materials and energy as well as the discharge of waste without adequate treatment lead to a deterioration in the quality of the air, surface and groundwater. They even constitute a risk of disease proliferation in the areas concerned. However, the Niger Basin, beyond its biodiversity, represents an economic heritage because it is indeed the existence of its rich ecosystem that favors the establishment of economic activities all along its length. The Niger Basin is therefore also a feeding ground. We must be able to continue to use its resources without exhausting them.
Moreover, the economy is not the opposite of ecology. Rather, the two complement each other and go hand in hand. This is why the defense and protection of this heritage requires the commitment of all actors, first and foremost industries, through the improvement of the environmental footprint of their activities.
The Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technologies (TEST) of the International Organization for Industrial Development (UNIDO): a dual response to the modernization of industrial processes and the safeguarding of the Niger Basin ecosystem.
An Initiative That Contributes To The Sustainable Development Goals
In addition to addressing environmental and performance issues, the TEST methodology contributes to the achievement of goals 6, 9, 12 and 13 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals promoting industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability.
