Launch of the Regional Initiative for Water and Environment in the transboundary basin of the Mono River (RIWE-Mono)
The GEF-funded RIWE-Mono Project was launched in Grand Popo, Benin, on 30 January 2025, with the objective to ensure the sustainable development and ecological resilience of the Mono River Basin through strengthened governance, capacity building in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), community-driven participatory planning, and enhanced cooperation between Togo and Benin.
Photo: IUCN
The Mono River Basin is a transboundary basin located between Benin and Togo in West Africa. It covers an area of 24,300 km². The Mono River is 530 km long, originating in the Koura Mountains in the Bassila commune of western Benin, with numerous other tributaries coming from Togo. From its source, the river flows westward into Togo before becoming the border between Togo and Benin for its last 100 km, eventually emptying into the Atlantic Ocean through a large estuary in Benin.
As a shared basin, efforts to improve its management are required on both the Togolese and Benin sides of the border. It is crucial that this management is coordinated at the basin level rather than at the national level. The degradation of the basin can only be slowed or halted through efforts across the whole basin, as actions in one part will have repercussions in other areas. Providing a coherent institutional framework, from the local to the regional level, will enable coordination and establish the appropriate structures to guide development and dialogue in the basin while advocating for transformational and inclusive change.
In this context, the Regional Initiative for Water and Environment in the transboundary basin of the Mono River (RIWE-Mono) project was developed and secured $5,000,000 in funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for a duration of four years. IUCN is the implementing agency of this initiative, ensuring that the project meets its assigned objectives. The project is executed by the following organisations:
- Mono Basin Authority (MBA)
- Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS)
- Global Water Partnership for West Africa (GWP-WA)
The overall objective of the project is to ensure the sustainable development and ecological resilience of the Mono River Basin through strengthened governance, capacity building in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), community-driven participatory planning, and enhanced cooperation between Togo and Benin.
The RIWE-Mono Project is structured around three main components: Water Resources Assessment, Planning, and Eco-Economic Development
Conducting a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA)
- Developing a Strategic Action Plan (SAP)
- Creating an investment plan
- Implementing pilot initiatives
- Institutional and Technical Capacity Building
Strengthening the organisational and technical capacities of the MBA
- Supporting local stakeholders, including Local Water Committees (CLEs)
- Knowledge Management, Monitoring & Evaluation, and Communication
Establishing information-sharing mechanisms
Raising awareness to enhance cooperation and decision-making
IUCN has been active in the Mono River Basin since 2019, through the Building River Dialogue and Governance (BRIDGE) programme, aimed at supporting the operationalisation of the Mono Basin Authority (MBA) and strengthening the institutional, political, and technical framework of the basin. BRIDGE facilitates multi-stakeholder and multi-level dialogues to promote: Water diplomacy, transboundary water governance and benefit-sharing mechanisms in the basin.
As part of BRIDGE’s strategy to ensure the financial sustainability of river basin organisations, the programme played a key role in initiating the RIWE-Mono Project.
More information on the BRIDGE Programme can be found here: BRIDGE – Building River Dialogue and Governance – The IUCN Water Knowledge Platform
IUCN Contact person for RIWE-Mono and BRIDGE activities in West and Central Africa:
Armel MEWOUTH - Regional Water Focal Point
[email protected]