In 1964, the countries sharing Lake Chad (Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria) established the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) through a convention signed by the Heads of the four countries. The Commission has its headquarters in N'djamena, Chad Republic, with each member represented by two Commissioners at the Ministerial level. The Commissioners meet regularly (twice a year), and the Heads of State meet once every two years.
Following the severe drought and famine in Northern Nigeria in 1972/73, the Federal Military Government decided to develop large-scale irrigation projects in the affected areas to mitigate the effects of future droughts. Decrees No. 32 and 33 of 1972 created the Chad Basin Development Authority (CBDA) and the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority (SRRBDA) respectively.
These decrees were amended by Decree 37 of 1976 and consolidated by Decree 87 of 1979. Decree No.35 of 1987 readjusted the boundaries to cover parts of Adamawa and redefined the statutory functions of the Authority to make it a WATER RESOURCES' DEVELOPMENT AGENCY.