Water management needs in the Great Lakes region of Africa are acute. Under-developed institutions, policies and implementation capacity hinder effective watershed management. As part of a larger Global Environment Facility (GEF) project “Regional Dialogue to Improve Transboundary Water Resources Governance in Africa”, UNU-INWEH undertook a comparative study of management approaches by five lake commissions in the African Great Lakes and Laurentian Great Lakes in North America.

The lake Twinning dialogues held in Entebbe, Uganda (2008) and Niagara Falls, Canada (2009) provided the opportunity for continued comparative analysis of lake management between the North American and African systems. The synthesis report includes discussion of the following key areas: the main drivers of change/stress in Great Lake systems; transboundary governance: tools and challenges; transboundary lake basin management regimes; and building regional and trans-continental connections.

The initiative has led to development a framework for cooperation and collaboration on Great Lakes systems through enhanced science and policy linkages. The following high priority areas for joint research, studies and investigations have been identified: climate change (adaptation/mitigation); governance structure; human wellbeing; public-private partnerships; gender equity; and ecosystem approaches and management. The framework presented in the synthesis report has the potential to form the basis of a long-term partnership among the commissions, building on the positive example of successful twinning between the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization in Africa and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission in North America.