The IAEA and Niger have signed an agreement, backed by World Bank funding, to improve water security in the country. This landmark collaboration will strengthen water resource management by building a national water quality laboratory and modernizing regional water laboratories in the country.

“With water scarcity affecting lives and livelihoods, strengthening Niger’s water management is critical,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. “With this agreement, we are providing the country with the infrastructure, tools, and expertise it needs to better manage this precious resource. Niger can count on the IAEA to strengthen its water management capabilities and build long-term resilience on this front,” he said.

The agreement was signed on Thursday in Niamey by the IAEA Director General and Niger’s Minister of Hydraulics, Sanitation, and Environment, Maizama Abdoulaye, in the presence of Han Fraeters, World Bank Country Manager for Niger.

Niger faces severe water scarcity due to its arid climate, rapid population growth and limited water infrastructure and has growing concerns regarding water quality.

The modernization of Niger’s regional laboratories “is more vital than ever," Minister Abdoulaye said.  “It is a question of speeding up the action to be taken, to warn the population of contamination risks and protect them against these chemical threats. I am delighted to sign this agreement with the IAEA, which will establish a reference laboratory and upgrade existing ones."

Water security – its availability, quality, management and protection – is essential for human development and environmental and economic sustainability.  The IAEA helps countries to manage their freshwater resources using nuclear techniques – isotope hydrology - that provide information about both surface and groundwater supplies and their interaction, particularly on water origin, movement and quality. For groundwater the IAEA provides critical support to countries working on determining the age of their groundwater reserves to ensure that they can be managed sustainably.

The new collaboration will strengthen water resource management by building a national water quality laboratory and modernizing regional water laboratories in the country. (Photo: D. Candano Laris/IAEA)

Once operational, Niger’s new national water quality laboratory will assist the country in evaluating the distribution, replenishment and quality of its water resources to support the economic development of the country needed for its growing population. The laboratory is part of a larger project that is developing an integrated water resource platform approach to strengthen water-related planning, policies and investment.  

The new partnership builds on commitments made during the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York. At a side event launching the Global Water Analysis Laboratory Network (GloWAL), the IAEA and Niger pledged to work together within the GloWAL Network, with support from the World Bank.

The agreement's primary objective is to ensure that Niger’s new national water quality laboratory is fully operational, properly equipped and staffed with skilled analytical technicians. The IAEA will work closely with Niger to develop the laboratory with a strong focus on long-term sustainability.

Key objectives of the agreement include:

Providing technical support to establish a national water quality laboratory and modernize seven regional laboratories in Niger.Identifying training needs for laboratory staff.Strengthening human capacity through training for technical staff and graduate students.