Nigeria: The project to fill Lake Chad is back
The conference for Lake Chad is in full swing in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.
On the second day of the conference, on Tuesday, a dynamic was created around the project to transfer water from the Congo Basin to Lake Chad.
Too ambitious, too risky, too expensive? The reasons for opposing it are not lacking, but the project to fill Lake Chad well is back.
On Tuesday, February 27 in Abuja, Nigeria, the titanic ambition to transfer the waters of the Congo Basin was on everyone’s lips, as reported by the Italian analyst Claudio Celani: “People here are very convinced that water transfer is the only way to revitalize Lake Chad. They see things big. They understand that they need a big project, Trans-aqua, the big project that is supposed to not only bring water from point A to point B, but also build a real modern infrastructure in the heart of Africa,” he explains.
DRC main water donor
Transaqua is reborn from the ashes. The Italian company Bonifica at the origin of the project is now associated with the Chinese company Powerchina. A joint feasibility study will be funded by the Chinese and Italian governments.
Powerchina’s chief engineer looks forward to this collaboration: “I believe we are at the beginning of a new cooperation. We look forward to starting this cooperation.”
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is believed to be the largest donor of water. François Kalwele from the DRC’s Ministry of the Environment says he is a starter and advocates solidarity between African states.
