Governors from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad, under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), on Wednesday spanning through Thursday 17th and 18th July 2019 in Niamey restated their commitments to ensuring cross border security and curbing the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents.
In a communiqué released after the 2nd Lake Chad governors forum which ended on Thursday, 18th July 2019 in Niamey, Niger Republic, the Governors ensured full implementation of the resolutions reached the conference which attracted over 300 participants.
They particularly stressed on the implementation of the Regional Strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery and Resilience (RSSRR) aimed at curbing the Boko Haram and other challenges affecting the region.
More so, this year’s meeting of the LCB Governors’ Forum was attended by the governors from the far North and Northern regions of Cameroon, Hadjer-Lamis and Lac provinces of Chad, Diffa region of Niger, and Adamawa, Borno and Yobe state governors from Nigeria.
Other dignitaries in attendance comprises the Governor of Zinder, representatives of the African Union (AU), the United Nations institutions (UN), the Regional Economic Communities of West African States (ECOWAS), multilateral and bilateral institutions, donor governments, the regional private sector, civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, among others.
Additionally, the event was organized by the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), African Union (AU) and the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI).
At the end of the meeting, a sum of $100 million RSSR facilities was raised and its ‘ownership’ would primarily be with the affected states.
They also vowed to remain committed to joint efforts towards stabilizing, building peace and fostering sustainable development across the Lake Chad Basin.
The communiqué also affirmed the commitment of stakeholders involved to the design and implementation of the Territorial Action Plans (TAPs), aimed at harmonizing each nation’s development plans, and to periodically monitor the progress achieved.
In an effort to consult widely, the meeting resolved to continue to engage the civil society, including traditional and religious leaders in stabilization initiatives, and report progress made on ‘regional priorities’ during the next meeting of the LCB Governors’ Forum.
The next forum’s meeting of 2020 would hold in Cameroun republic and that henceforth, it would be observed at least once every year and would maintain frequent communication with the stakeholders.
