The Fifth Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum that took place in Maiduguri Borno State, from January 29 to 31, 2025, was attended by leading stakeholders to address the region’s complex security, humanitarian, and development challenges.
The forum aimed to consolidate gains, advance regional collaboration, and promote sustainable peace and development in the Lake Chad Basin region.
The forum sought to tackle some of the Chad Basin development challenges under the theme “Rebuilding the Lake Chad Basin: Consolidating Gains, Commitment to Peace, Cross-Border Cooperation, Security, and Sustainable Development for a Resilient Community,” with clearly defined strategies for addressing regional instability and fostering collaboration for accelerated development of the member nations.
Participants at the forum recommended far-reaching programmes and policies that formed the roadmap towards enhancing regional cooperation, cross-border trade, food security, long-term peace, and sustainable development in Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria.
The eleven Governors that formed the Lake Chad Basin comprised of Lac Region, Hadjer-Lamis Region, Kanem Region in Chad, Far North Region and North Region in Cameroon, Diffa Region, Zinder Region and Tahoua Region in Niger Republic and Borno state, Adamawa state and Yobe state in Nigeria.
The Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum provided space for humanitarian, development partners, national and international donors as well as security professionals to engage directly and provide concrete and actionable plans for stabilizing the region with guided efforts to support recovery for a long-term development in the region.
Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, tasked leaders and members of the forum to work towards tackling terrorism and all forms of insecurity that ravaged the Lake Chad basin region.
President Tinubu identified multi-faceted approach as key in tackling the menace of insecurity and advised that, for the chain of events that disrupted the stability of the region in the past 15 years to be resolved, there is the need for power to be used responsibly to guarantee the safety and prosperity of the people.
Nigeria’s President in a message to the forum emphasized that while military power must be applied to contain security threats, it must be accompanied by strategies that address their root causes, like poverty, inequality, and lack of job opportunities for the region’s young population.
In their thirteen-point communiqué, the forum expressed its commitment to ensure that member states strengthen strategic support to the operational capacity of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), to further sustain peace in the Lake Chad region and pave way for accelerated development.
The Governors also resolved to invest in trans-border security; ensuring that member states effectively occupy the Lake Chad Islands as a means of securing the borders of member States.
Stressing their commitment to secure and control the waterways surrounding states in the Lake Chad region, the forum pledged to ensure that remnants of all non-state armed groups are completely neutralized.
The forum’s resolutions also acknowledged the governors’ concern over the suspension of donor support for Niger Republic National Window of the Regional Stabilization Facility (RSF), a funding mechanism of the United Nations. This window provided intervention funds used to execute developmental programmes and projects that restore hope and transform lives in the region.
It is expected that the governors would double their efforts towards advancing stabilization, recovery, and resilience as well as ending insecurity challenges in the Lake Chad Basin eleven states or regional entities.
It is hoped that the suspension of the support, which negatively impacts progress across the region, will be lifted to enable beneficiaries of the national window of the regional stabilization facility by the United Nations to continue their intervention activities.
It is expected that the determination and resolutions by the 5th Forum of the Governors of the Lake Chad Basin region would be funded by the member states, national governments, and donor agencies for the proper implementation of the programmes and activities of the neighboring states to fully restore the dignity, lost glory and pride of the Lake Chad region.
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