The contentious issue of the proposed Kafin Zaki dam, on the Jama’are river, needs to be amicably resolved to the mutual satisfaction of all stakeholders in the basin. The lessons from the construction of the Tiga and Challawa Gorge dams indicate that, at very least, a comprehensive Environmental & Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) should precede the construction of any new dams in the basin. The contention lies with the fact that upstream authorities and communities in Bauchi State, where the proposed new dam site is located, are demanding for a similar expansion of irrigated agriculture as has benefited neighbouring Kano and Jigawa States from Tiga dam, while downstream resource users and regulators in Yobe and Borno States are concerned about the consequences if equally badly managed.

JWL is currently promoting dialogue between all the concerned stakeholders on this issue, to reach a consensus between upstream and downstream interests on the way forward.