African leaders from the nine countries that share the Niger River met from 27-28 April 2004 in Paris, France, to discuss how to better manage the river and prevent its water levels from declining.

The Niger River, the third largest river in Africa, is shared by Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger and Nigeria, and is responsible for sustaining 100 million people, a number that is expected to double by 2020. During the two-day conference, sponsored by French President Jacques Chirac, delegates stressed the need to jointly manage their ground and surface water resources as part of their action plan to save the Niger basin. A ‘Paris Declaration’ was signed by the nine countries to establish good governance principles for the river based on sustainable development and fair water sharing. For more information visit: http://www.enn.com/news/2004-04-27/s_23198.asp