On August 9-14, 2015, members of the Blue Peace Middle East Community embarked on a learning journey to explore and understand in detail about cooperation in the Senegal River Basin in West Africa. The 20-person delegation from the Middle East included former ministers, senior policy makers, academic and technical experts and leading members of the Blue Peace Media Network.

Strategic Foresight Group organized the Learning Journey to Senegal River Basin in coordination with the L’Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur du fleuve Sénégal/Senegal River Basin Commission (OMVS). Following the Mekong Learning Mission, which was held in November 2014, the Learning Journey to Senegal River Basin was a continuation of the ‘exchange of experience’ activities under the Blue Peace Initiative. It was supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

The journey was conducted over a period of five days in Senegal during which the participants were able to appreciate the functioning of OMVS and derive key learnings for the Middle East. The journey introduced participants to new experiences and gave insights into cooperation and efficient transboundary water management achieved by the riparian countries of the Senegal River basin in West Africa. In the course of the journey, the Water Cooperation Quotient report by Strategic Foresight Group was launched.