New project to facilitate cooperative water resource management and development in the Nile Basin launched
26 March, 2013
Entebbe, Uganda (Sudanow),A new USD 15.3 million project, the ‘Nile Cooperation for Results (NCORE)’ aimed at facilitating cooperative water resource management and development in the Nile Basin has been officially launched recently at the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) Secretariat in Entebbe, Uganda.
The Project has been developed by NBI to strengthen the platform and knowledge based analysis of trans-boundary options for sustainable basin-wide cooperative planning, management and development of Member States’ water resources.
The NCORE project was launched during the opening ceremony of the 38th Nile Technical Advisory Committee (Nile-TAC) meeting by Eng. Mugisha Shillingi, Director of the Water Resources Management Directorate in the Ministry of Water and Environment who is also the Nile-TAC member for Uganda, “As members of the Nile-TAC, we are committed to the project objectives and we look forward for effective project implementation”, Eng. Shillingi said.
Funding for the two-year project is from two sources, namely the Nile Basin Trust Fund in the amount of US$13.8 million as well as from the Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (CIWA) Trust Fund in the amount of US$1.5 million both administered by the World Bank
The NCORE project is the first phase of the five-year Nile Basin Climate Resilient Growth Program (NBCRG) supported by a number of donors and a constituent part of NBI’s over arching five-year Strategic Plan for the period 2012-2016.The Project builds on and consolidates NBI’s achievements.
Later, Nile-TAC members took note of the achievements of the four-year Institutional Strengthening Project (ISP) that was successfully closed in December 2012. Among other things, the ISP enabled NBI to achieve a sound institutional foundation to deliver its core functions namely; Facilitating Cooperation, Water Resource Management and Water Resource Development, underpinned by Member States’ commitment to finance NBI’s minimum functionality.
The Executive Director of the NBI Secretariat, Eng. Teferra Beyene noted that the Secretariat has continued with its resource mobilization efforts with potential development partners, to enable implementation of the five-year Strategic Plan. “I am pleased to inform you that the German Government, through GIZ has pledged to extend its support for another three years with €4 million (four million Euros)”, he said.
The 38th Nile-TAC meeting was attended by representatives of NBI Member States namely Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda as well as management staff of NBI.
The NCORE project consists of three components to be implemented by the three NBI centers as follows:
Component 1 - ‘Advancing Nile Basin-Wide Cooperation and Analysis’ is implemented by the Secretariat based in Entebbe, This component aims at supporting activities at the NBI Secretariat related to its core functions of Facilitating Cooperation and Water Resource Management.
Component 2 - ‘Promotion of Sustainable Development and Planning in the Nile Equatorial Lakes Region,’ is implemented by the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program Coordination Unit (NELSAP-CU) based in Kigali, Rwanda. This component support NBI in its efforts to advance investment opportunities in the Nile Equatorial Lakes region.
Component 3 focuses on dam safety related initiatives; watershed management; water resources data, information and knowledge base; integrating social and environmental issues; expanding the stakeholder base to enrich the dialogue and build consensus; enhancing awareness and communicating benefits of cooperation. This Component is implemented by the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO) based in Addis Ababa
The Nile Basin Initiative is a regional intergovernmental partnership that seeks to develop the River Nile in a cooperative manner, share substantial socio-economic benefits and promote regional peace and security. The partnership continues to be led by 10 Member States namely Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, The Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Eritrea participates as an observer. NBI was conceived as a transitional institution until the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) negotiations were finalized and a permanent institution created.
The partnership is guided by a Shared Vision: ‘To achieve sustainable socio-economic development through equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile Basin Water resources’. The shared belief is that countries can achieve better outcomes for all the peoples of the Basin through cooperation rather than competition. At the heart of this challenge is the imperative to eradicate poverty.
The NBI is overseen by a Council of 10 Ministers (Nile-COM) in charge of Water Affairs in the NBI Member States, which meets once a year. This is the highest decision-making body and provides policy guidance. A Nile Technical Advisory Committee (Nile-TAC), of 20 senior government officials from the partner states meets at least twice a year and oversees the work of NBI as well as offers technical support and advice to the Nile-COM on matters related to the management and development of the common Nile Basin water resources
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