With the signature of the International Convention for the Integrated Management of the Water Resources of the Basin of Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River (the Convention) in November 2014, the authorities of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda created the Lake Kivu and Ruzizi River Authority (ABAKIR) to implement cooperation for the sustainable and equitable management of water resources and for an improved socio-economic integration between the three nations in the basin.

A transitional structure of three co-directors (one from each Member State) was set up as a secretariat for the authority to steer the Convention towards ratification, to prepare the way for a permanent structure for the authority and to undertake the initial studies to launch ABAKIR’s activities.

The consulting services carried out in the context of the project “Support to the Integrated Management of Water Resources of Lake Kivu and Ruzizi River” implemented by the GIZ GmbH and financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project aims to improve the hydrological and operational management of Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River, applying a water focussed IWRM approach and the complementary and broader perspective of the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus. This basin-wide intervention, aspiring to a sustainable and consensual management of natural resources, requires a strong regional, and in this case, transboundary institution with a clear mandate, vision, mission, and objectives, with the appropriate personnel and material resources.