Transboundary aquifer cooperation: supranational coordination in managing the North-Western Sahara Aquifer System

The North-Western Sahara Aquifer System (NWSAS) shared by Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria is one of North Africa’s biggest nonrenewable groundwater storage systems. The management of its resources in a sustainable way will be central to regional stability, food security, and climate resilience. This book chapter discusses how transboundary cooperation along the NWSAS has evolved through facilitation by supranational institutions, with the Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel (OSS) leading in promoting data sharing, joint planning, and water governance approaches for sustainability. After recommending a series of sustainable green measures such as efficient irrigation, conservation of ecosystems, and adaptive resource use, the chapter suggests the adoption of a solid institutional framework to make groundwater development more resilient in the long term. With political instability and differential national capacities featured in the working environment, supranational surveillance plays a crucial role in facilitating transparency, trust, and shared vision for sustainable groundwater use. The article concludes with recommendations for institutionalization and legal codification of arrangements for cooperation.