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Strategic Capacity-Building Imperatives Vital for Transboundary Water Cooperation in Africa

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Abstract

Several of the 55 transboundary river basins in Africa are shared by ten or more countries and this makes transboundary river basin management (TRBM) in the continent quite complex (Sadoff et al. 2002; UNECA 2006). But the arbitrary subdivision of landscapes into new countries during colonialism and the high variability of rainfall patterns and river flows across the continent make TRBM challenges in Africa even more complex (SIWI 2009). Despite attempts by various scholars and practitioners in recent decades to articulate the main drivers and constraints to TRBM, knowledge and understanding about the key factors that determine successful interstate cooperation and capacity-building interventions in this domain remains limited. Thus, the search for effective TRBM and proactive solutions for addressing interstate water conflict remains an ongoing effort in Africa (Sadoff and Grey 2002; GWP 2012).

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© 2014 Claudious Chikozho

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Chikozho, C. (2014). Strategic Capacity-Building Imperatives Vital for Transboundary Water Cooperation in Africa. In: Hanson, K.T., D’Alessandro, C., Owusu, F. (eds) Managing Africa’s Natural Resources. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137365613_6

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