The twinning exchange was designed to leverage the institutional experience of NBA, VBA, and LCBC to accelerate the Mono Basin Authority’s progress on two interlinked challenges: groundwater monitoring and cross-border data sharing. Specifically, the exchange aimed to:
- Share knowledge and lessons learned from experienced RBOs on establishing and operating data sharing platforms for transboundary basins.
- Identify transferable best practices in data governance, including protocols, agreements, and technological solutions.
- Inform the design of a data sharing platform and protocol for the Mono Basin, drawing on tested approaches from peer institutions.
- Strengthen institutional relationships among West African basin organisations and foster a spirit of ongoing peer collaboration.
Key Activities
The twinning exchange was embedded within a two-day technical workshop that addressed two interconnected challenges facing the Mono Basin: the degraded state of its groundwater monitoring network, and the absence of a formal, operational data sharing framework between Benin and Togo:
- Groundwater Monitoring Gaps
- Data Sharing and Governance
Results and learning outcomes
The three twinned RBOs brought substantive institutional knowledge to the exchange. NBA and LCBC each drew on over 60 years of operational experience. VBA’s particular relevance stemmed from sharing two member states — Benin and Togo — with the Mono Basin. Each organisation presented concrete information on their data platforms, sharing arrangements, and lessons learned, providing MBA with a rich menu of tested approaches to draw from.
About the Projects
G4DR – Groundwater for aDvancing Resilience in Africa (Host Project)
The G4DR project (GEF ID 10970) is a four-year initiative funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF),
implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and executed by IWMI
in partnership with AMCOW, IIASA, and SADC-GMI. The project operates across five countries — Benin,
Malawi, Mozambique, Togo, and Uganda — and at multiple scales from continental to basin level.
Component 3 of G4DR, which frames this exchange, focuses on demonstrating on-the-ground benefits of
integrating groundwater into water resources planning. In the Mono Basin, this involves:
• Rehabilitation of existing piezometric monitoring stations
• Installation of automatic data loggers
• Strengthening data management and cross-border data sharing systems
• Community engagement through a Youth Ambassador model
Mono Basin Authority (MBA)
The MBA is the transboundary basin authority responsible for the integrated management of water
resources in the Mono Basin, shared between Benin and Togo. As a relatively young institution, MBA is in
the process of consolidating its legal and institutional instruments — including a Water Charter and a
hydrological observatory — and building the technical infrastructure needed to fulfil its mandate. The
twinning exchange provided MBA with a unique opportunity to learn from more established peer
institutions.
Twinned River Basin Organisations
Three experienced RBOs participated in the exchange through IW:LEARN Twinning Programme support:
• Niger Basin Authority (NBA): One of West Africa’s oldest basin organisations, with over 60 years
of experience in transboundary water resources management, data collection, and inter-state
cooperation across the Niger River Basin.
• Volta Basin Authority (VBA): A regional body managing the Volta Basin, shared by six countries
including Benin and Togo, making it a particularly relevant partner given the overlap in member
states with the Mono Basin.
• Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC): An established regional institution with decades of
experience in integrated water resources management, currently enhancing the sustainability of
Lake Chad and developing innovative responses including groundwater-based solutions.