The African Development Bank Group and the Lake Chad Basin Commission have signed a $10.2 million agreement to help revive the shrinking Lake Chad and support local communities.
The deal was signed on March 20 in N’Djamena by Claude N’Kodia, the Bank’s interim Country Manager for Chad, and Mamman Nuhu, Executive Secretary of the Commission. Senior Chadian officials, including Deputy Minister of Finance Fatima Haram Acyl and Water and Energy General Secretary Nour Saleh Haggar, attended the event.
The new project—called PARFEBALT—focuses on restoring both the ecological health and economic importance of the basin. Funding comes from the Bank’s African Development Fund and Transition Support Facility, with added support from the Lake Chad Basin Commission.
The initiative will focus on three main goals. First, it will support studies to plan for the lake’s recovery. Second, it will improve how water resources are tracked and managed. Third, it will build the skills and capacity of local institutions in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria.
“This project will bring real change for people living around the lake,” Nuhu said. “It will offer women and young people new chances to earn a living and learn how to face climate challenges.”
Lake Chad has been shrinking for decades. The region now struggles with drought, flooding, and conflicts over land and water. Armed groups have also caused serious security concerns.
To address these issues, the Lake Chad Basin Commission created a Strategic Programme of Action for 2023–2025. The African Development Bank has supported this plan since November 2022.
N’Kodia said the new project builds on the Bank’s past efforts and matches its 2024–2033 strategy, which sees peace and stability as key to regional progress.
The Bank’s plan for Chad focuses on two priorities: upgrading infrastructure to grow the economy and improving public sector governance to attract more investment.