On September 27, Mr. Omogbemi Omoloju Yaya, the Director of the UNESCO Regional Center for Integrated River Basin Management (RC-IRBM), visited the IWHR. During this visit, he met with Ms. PENG Jing, the Director-General of the International Research and Training Center for Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES) and the President of IWHR. They were joined by Mr. ZHANG Jianli, the Deputy Director-General of IRTCES, representatives from IRTCES, the International Cooperation Division of IWHR, and several Nigerian international students.

During the meeting, IRTCES and RC-IRBM signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation. Ms. PENG Jing expressed her gratitude to Mr. Omogbemi Omoloju Yaya for the support of RC-IRBM in IRTCES's 40th Anniversary Academic Event and the 3rd Asian International Water Week. As members of UNESCO's water family, both centers have promising opportunities for academic exchanges, fundamental research, knowledge dissemination, and postgraduate training.

She emphasized that China is one of the countries with the most complex water conditions and faces significant challenges in water governance. However, through in-depth research and practical applications, China has achieved remarkable results and gained substantial experience in areas such as sediment management, soil and water conservation, and river ecological restoration.

Mr. Omogbemi Omoloju Yaya praised China's significant advancements in water conservancy and expressed appreciation for China's contributions to Nigeria's water infrastructure. He expressed a strong desire to learn from China's technologies and practices related to sustainable sediment management, soil erosion control, integrated water resource management, and water environment monitoring. He proposed strengthening "South-South Cooperation" through academic exchanges, technical training, joint research, and talent development programs.

During his visit, Mr. Omogbemi Omoloju Yaya toured IRTCES facilities and the water environment laboratories of IWHR, where he engaged in technical discussions regarding aquatic ecosystem monitoring and management.

Established in 2013 as a UNESCO Category 2 Center, RC-IRBM serves as a comprehensive platform for hydrological informatics, integrated water resource management, and socio-economic research. Headquartered in Nigeria, the center facilitates training, coordinates collaborative projects, and promotes scientific basin management practices across West Africa and internationally.