Transaqua: power, political change and the transnational politics of a water megaproject

Least developed countries, with their unique governance and political-economic conditions, face uncommon and under-researched transboundary hydropolitical issues. We analyze the impact of power and political change on the adoption of the Transaqua water transfer megaproject in Central Africa using process tracing and analysis of documents, interviews and fieldwork. We present the key actors and their interests and argue for the central role of the Nigerian leadership in driving Nigeria’s state power and the Lake Chad Basin Commission. Discourses of ‘legitimation’ and ‘urgency’ are two framings used to justify the Transaqua project and expedite its construction, shaping our understanding of the political strategies underlying the speedy adoption of the project.