Nelsap News Issue No 005 - January - March 2018
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A Quarterly Newsletter of the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) Coordination Unit Nelsap News Issue No 005 - January - March 2018 Inside. Creation of the River Basin Management Projects and their anchor- age to NELSAP Message from the Regional Coordinator Eng. Elly Elicad Nyabeeya With continuous of staff quarters almost at the finish implementation of line and the deviation of water is planned activities, it being implemented. More so has is always a pleasure been done in developing the Project for us at NELSAP Affected Persons (PAPs) in Liveli- to inform the gen- hood Restoration Program (LRP) and eral public of what the Local Area Development Plan we really do and be (LADP) that aims at developing the accountable for what district where the project is being nations expect of us. built in the three countries. NELSAP News This quarter has been a busy one as usual In understanding our mission at and we are much NELSAP which is to contribute to the Inside. delighted to continue eradication of poverty, promote eco- sharing with you of nomic growth, and reverse environ- what we have done mental degradation in the Nile Equa- every quarter. torial Lakes Region, we always work towards achieving that at all costs. Our activities always Creation of the River Basin Management evolve around different projects Overseeing the implementation of Projects and their anchorage to NELSAP P.4-5 implemented by our program. The jointly agreed projects in member Regional Rusumo Hydro-electric states and jointly promoting cooper- Project (RRFHP), the Nile Coordi- ative in the region and making the nated Results (NCORE) Project, the common use of the Nile Basin water Lakes Edward and Albert Fisheries resources, we have continued to NELSAP develops a Catchment Manage- phase II (LEAFII), the Nyimur Water contribute to the development of Nile ment Planning Manual for practitioners P.7 Multipurpose Project (Nyimur MPP), Basin member states through our Mara River Management Project, Multi-national projects. Sio Malaba Malakisi Project and the The quarter ended well and as we ongoing NELSAP Capacity Develop- start the quarter to the end of 2017, The Livelihood Restoration Program: ment Project (AFD). which will be the busiest, we will Madina’s Story P.8-9 keep you updated and work as hard As you will understand, the Rusumo with each project with the aim of gen- Hydro Electric Power Project has erating more benefits to the citizens construction has progressed steadi- of NEL member states n News in brief ly especially with the construction P.11 NELSAP News - Issue 005 2 Message from the Communications Desk By Doreen NAKURE The beginning of 2018 was a time for us at NELSAP to mark our calendars and get to work as it is expected of us and in this quarter, many events and activities were realized. The Regional Rusumo Hydroelectric Power project finished a year since implementation phase started with the ground breaking ceremony of March 2017. The civil constructions of the project are on a stable progress and the social development projects taking the lead in improving the lives of the Project Affected Persons. The Local Area Development Program in the neighbouring districts of the three member states and the Livelihood Restoration Program are both exciting the beneficiaries with great benefits. NELSAP through the Mara River Basin Management Project handed over the draft detailed designs reports and tender documents of Mara Valley and Ngono water resources development projects and the other same proj- ects are expected to be handed over to the government of Kenya and Ugan- Our Mission da in the next quarter. To contribute to the eradication The projects under Mara RBM just like the Kagera River Basin Manage- ment Project and Sio Malaba Malakisi RBM project were developed as the of poverty, economic growth, and three pre-investment projects to bring out different outcomes as you will reversal of environmental find the detailed information in this newsletter. degradation in the Nile Equatorial With the aim of fulfilling our mandate, many activities in different projects Lakes region happened and we will keep informing you more of our actions and projects through the quarterly newsletters and our social media platforms regularly. Have a great read, until next issue n Follow us Reach out to us through Twitter: @Nelsapcu Facebook: @Nelsapcu/NBI [email protected] or Flickr: nelsap cu [email protected] Website: nelsap.nilebasin.org NELSAP News - Issue 005 NELSAP News- Issue 005 3 Eng. Arsène Mukubwa Water Resources Engineer After recognizing the need to take concrete steps to- wards realization of the development of the Nile potential while the dialogue on a per- manent legal and institutional framework con- tinued, the Nile riparian states took a historic step towards cooperation in the establishment of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) in 1999 by the Council of Ministers in the region. After the establishment of the NBI, a strategic action programme was launched to translate the NBI’s shared vision into action. The strate- gic action programme consisted of two comple- mentary sub-programmes; the Shared Vision Programme (SVP) of technical assistance and capacity building projects to be implemented basin-wide creating an enabling environment for cooperative development, and Subsidiary Creation of the River Basin Manage- Action Programmes (SAPs) carried out by smaller groups of Nile riparian states, compris- ment Projects and their anchorage to NELSAP ing of physical investment at sub-basin level. A set of guiding principles were then adopted ship of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia then (in- NBI shared vision. Within the framework of for the SAPs with the main guideline being; cludes South Sudan now) ENSAP, and the Nile the NBI, NELSAP seeks to achieve joint action “Action on the ground needs to be planned at Equatorial Lakes Region SAP with membership on the ground, promote poverty alleviation, the lowest appropriate level (the principle of of six countries (Burundi, Democratic Republic economic growth, and the reversal of the envi- subsidiarity). Given the hydrological conditions of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ugan- ronmental degradation in the Nile Equatorial of the Nile Basin, action on the ground will da) on the White Nile as well as Sudan and Lakes Sub-Basin. mainly be planned and implemented at sub-ba- Egypt and South Sudan now (NELSAP). sin level.” At the inception of NELSAP, the NEL riparian NELSAP was established in December 1999, states identified and prioritised seven projects In line with this guideline, two SAPs were with the aim of complimenting the shared based on the agreed criteria for selecting NEL- formed; i.e. the Eastern Nile SAP with member- vision program and fostering realization of the SAP projects which includes: P. 5 NELSAP News - Issue 005 4 Creation of the River Basin Management Projects and their anchorage to NELSAP P.4 Unit) is for some reasons located in Kigali/ Mara, and Sio-Malaba-Malakisi River Basins Rwanda, the Mara RBM PMU in Musoma/Tan- in order to prepare for sustainable develop- 1. Enhanced agricultural productivity zania, and the Sio-Malaba-Malakisi RBM PMU ment-oriented investments to improve the in five East African countries and the DR in Kakamega/Kenya. living conditions of the people and to protect Congo; the environment.” The main objective of the three projects is 2. Management of fisheries and environ- “to develop tools and permanent cooperation The intended outcomes of the three pre-invest- ments of Lakes Albert and Edward; mechanisms for the joint sustainable man- ment projects as designed included (i) appro- agement of the water resources in the Kagera, priate institutional cooperative frameworks for 3. Watershed management of the Kag- the three basins; (ii) baseline natural and social era, Mara, and Sio-Malaba-Malakisi River information; (iii) agreed investment plans and Basins; financial resources mobilized for downstream investment; and (iv) small scale investment 4. Water hyacinth and water weed con- For the time being, there is projects for ensuring that direct returns from trol in the Kagera; cooperation reach the beneficiaries. 5. Hydropower (Rusumo Falls, ranking much evidence to show that and undertaking feasibility studies of progress on cooperation be- For the time being, there is much evidence to 50+MW hydroelectric power projects); show that progress on cooperation between tween the respective riparian the respective riparian countries has exceeded 6. Power transmission connections Ken- expectations. The first documented evidence is ya-Uganda-Rwanda-Burundi-DRC; and countries has exceeded expec- the bilateral agreements under the River Basin Management projects, which were signed in ac- 7. Support to the NELSAP Coordination tations. The first documented cordance with the planned time lines. Further- Unit. more, countries cooperated in drafting the Ba- evidence is the bilateral agree- sin Monographs and in the selection of projects. It is in this context that three transboundary ments under the River Basin While these aspects are the most tangible, other River Basin Management (RBM) Projects examples of cooperation tell much more about were established respectively for Kagera Basin Management programme, which the embedded nature of bilateral and regional which is shared between the four countries of cooperation like the data sharing (through the Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda; the were signed in accordance with hydromet programme), study tours and com- Mara Basin which is shared between Kenya and munity exchange visits. Tanzania; and the Sio-Malaba-Malakisi Basin the planned time lines. which is shared between Kenya and Uganda. The Kagera RBM PMU (Project Management NELSAP News - Issue 005 NELSAP News- Issue 005 5 Mara RBM Project hands over the detailed design reports of Ngono and Mara to the Tanzania Government On the 9th March, 2018, Mara River Basin Management Proj- ect under NELSAP Project Implementation Unit presented the draft detailed designs reports and tender documents of Mara Valley and Ngono water resources development proj- ects to the United Republic of Tanzania, in Dodoma.