There is a large community of researchers in resource management in Africa, but they are currently partly disconnected, even in a single country. Most researchers engaged in the Lake Chad Basin are involved in studies motivated nationally or in their own institutions. Groundwater or streams do not stop at political borders. This means that investigation must also cross national borders. As a consequence and considering that no country or region is independent of the rest of the word, international research collaboration stands out as the major challenge in addressing excellence and sustainability of scientific activities in the future? A multi and interdisciplinary approach and international cooperation are absolutely essential for positive realization of the objectives of water resource management in the Lake Chad basin. In 2002 the UNESCO project “Virtual laboratories for drying lakes in Africa, Middle East and Central Asia” was a joint effort to mobilizing researchers of the sub region promoting sustainable development of the Lake Chad basin.