Authorities are discussing a 20-year plan to save the River Niger from drying up, it has been revealed.
Africa's third longest river is reportedly threatened by continued drought, making it harder to catch fish and putting its tourism economy and 110 million population under threat.
But an $8.6 billion plan to save the river could help to prolong access for
backpacking ecotourism tours and visits.
However, authorities have so far only managed to raise 19 per cent of the funds required for the rehabilitation and silt-removal plans.
Niger's president Mamadou Tandja claims that more needs to be done to stem what could be a critical issue for the region.
He told AFP: "If it loses its water there will be no more Africa."
The River Niger passes through Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin and Nigeria and remained largely unexplored by Europeans until the 19th Century.
A donors' conference to secure more funding for the project is due in June.
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