Lake Chad Forum Kicks off in Maiduguri

By Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

The first Lake Chad Governors’ Forum to address the problems of the receding Lake Chad kicked off in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital Tuesday.

The forum, which is focusing on Regional Cooperation on Stabilisation, Peace-building and Sustainable Development, is expected to end on Wednesday.

At the end of the two-day meeting declared opened by Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by Borno Governor Kashim Shettima, a communique is expected to be issued.

Members of the forum include governors of the states most affected by Boko Haram insurgency around the Lake Chad, including Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria.

The International forum will serve as a cross-border cooperation for state authorities at sub-national and across common borders.

It is expected to foster collaboration towards overcoming challenges faced by inhabitants of the region.

The meeting is hosted by Borno government in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, the European and African Unions, as well as the governments of Germany, Norway and Sweden.

The meeting of the Oslo Consultative Group for Prevention and Stabilisation in the Lake Chad Region held in Berlin in September 2017, had agreed to establish the body, to support political process for stabilising and preventing further crises in the region.