Transboundary Water Conflict and Cooperation: Nigeria’s Diplomatic Engagement with the Niger River Basin Authority

This study examines Nigeria's diplomatic engagement with the Niger River Basin Authority (NRBA) and related transboundary water governance mechanisms, assessing the extent to which Nigeria has used multilateral water diplomacy to manage upstream-downstream tensions with riparian states including Guinea, Mali, and Niger Republic. The River Niger is a shared resource serving multiple states across West Africa, and competing demands for agricultural irrigation, hydropower development, and domestic water supply create persistent potential for transboundary water conflict. Drawing on hydro-politics theory and the theory of international water regimes, this research analyses Nigeria's participation in the NRBA from 2019 to 2024, examining its advocacy for minimum ecological flow standards, its responses to upstream dam projects, and its bilateral water agreements with Niger Republic on the Komadugu-Yobe Basin. The study employs a qualitative methodology, drawing on NRBA institutional documentation, bilateral water agreements, Federal Ministry of Water Resources reports, and semi-structured interviews with water diplomacy officials. The North West and North East zones are the primary domestic focus given their dependence on River Niger tributaries. Findings are expected to show that Nigeria's water diplomacy is institutionally engaged but strategically reactive, responding to upstream development events rather than proactively shaping the regional water governance agenda. Keywords: transboundary water, Niger River, Nigeria, hydro-politics, NRBA.