NIGER RIVER DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

THIS MULTI-DONOR PROJECT (AID,CANADA-CIDA,FRANCE-FAC,AND THE UNDP) WILL PROVIDE IMMEDIATE TECH ASSIST IN CONDUCTING A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE BASIN & LONG-TERM SUPPORT THROUGH THE EDUCATIONAL UPGRADING OF THE RNC STAFF. THE PLANNED BASIN ANALYSIS WILL RESULT IN THREE SEPARATE,BUT RELATED DOCUMENTS -- A MULTI-VOLUME COMPILATION & ANALYSIS OF EXISTING LAND,WATER,AND HUMAN RESOURCES DATA;AN ATLAS OF PHYSICAL,ECONOMIC,AND SOCIAL RESOURCES OF THE BASIN;AND A DETAILED ACTION PROGRAM OUTLINING A FIVE-YR DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE BASIN. THESE DOCUMENTS WILL INCLUDE EIGHT COMPONENTS: 1)AGRICULTURE (CIDA & AID WILL ASSESS LAND & WATER SUITABILITY); 2)WATER RESOURCES (CIDA & FAC WILL CONDUCT STUDIES OF METEROLOGY & CLIMATOLOGY, SURFACE WATER HYDROLOGY,HYDROLOGY & GROUNDWATER,AND WATER SUPPLY DEMANDS); 3.ENGINEERING (CIDA & FAC WILL IDENTIFY & EVALUATE EXISTING HYDRAULIC STRUCTURES); 4)TOPOGRAPHY,MAPPING,AND REMOTE SENSING (AID & FAC); 5)EDUC & TRNG (USAID WILL OUTLINE A PROFESSIONAL TRNG PROG FOR RNC); 6)HLTH & ENVIRONMENT (UNDP WILL SURVEY ENVIRONMENTAL & HLTH CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE BASIN); 7)LEGAL & INSTITUTIONAL (AN ANALYSIS OF THE RNC MGMT & ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE);AND 8)INTEGRATION OF THE STUDY COMPONENTS & ACTION PROG (UNDP). FOREIGN ADVISORS WILL INCLUDE A HYDROLOGIST FOR FLOOD FORECASTING,A WATER RESORCS PLNNER,A SOILS SCIENTIST,A REGIONAL ECONOMIST,A HYDROLOGIST,A CIVIL ENGINEER,AND AN AGRONOMIST, TWENTY RNC EMPLOYEES WILL RECEIVE GRAD-LEVEL TRNG IN CANADA & THE US. IN ADDITION,ONE INDIVIDUAL FROM EACH MEMBER NATION WILL PARTICIPATE IN A FOUR-WK STUDY TOUR TO BE CONDUCTED BY THE BUREAU OF RECLAMATION. ALSO,THREE RNC EMPLOYEES WILL RECEIVE ON-JOB TRNG AS WELL AS SHORT-TERM TRNG AT DOCUMENTATION CENTERS IN SENEGAL,UPPER VOLTA,THE FAO IN ROME AND THE SAHEL DOCU CENTER AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIV. TECH & LOGISTICAL EQUIP & AN A&E DESIGN FOR THE RNC HEADQUARTERS WILL BE PROVIDED BY USAID ET AL. Project Paper Amendment No. 1 of 7/15/81 to recruit the U.S. Corps of Engineers (COE) to implement, in place of the originally proposed diagnostic surveys, Stage 1 of a river systems analysis program, a prerequisite to assessing up- and downstream implications of Niger River development projects. COE will also perform sediment and geomorphic analyses of the Niger River Basin and determine future data needs. COE will provide training in the above components to personnel from the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) (formerly, the Niger River Commission) and/or its member states. (PD-AAI-105)