Environment feature by Leo Odera Omolo.
Heads of state of the Nile Council of Ministers and Nile Basin initiative are currently working towards concluding and having the cooperative framework agreement signed
This is a historical development that would green light to establishing a permanent Nile river basin commission .
The Congolese Minister for Environment ,Nature Conservation and Tourism Jose Endindo Bononge in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the new chairman of the Council of Ministers while Ms Henneitte Ndombe is the newlyy appointed NBI executive director
The two officials both from DRC took to the helm of the Nile Basin Inter-Governmental congregation last year ,with a mission to complete negotiation and signing of a new pact to govern the use of river Nile water resource ,.
It is against these ambitions that Mr Bononge has called for an extra- ordinary meeting for the Nile com the coming April to be held in the Congolese capital ,Kinshasa when cooperative framework agreement will be discussed .
Currently the riparian states commune under the NBI ,which does not have legal status in most of the countries because it is only transitional arrangement providing a forum for cooperative development of the water resource of the river Nile and seeking a share substantial socio-economic benefits as well as promote regional peace and security pending a permanent river basin commission .
Signing of the agreement and consequently establishing the commission is envisaged to attract investment projects that will go a long way in constructing to economic development of the Nile basin countries .
The Nile basin has 10 countries including Burundi , DRC Congo ,Egypt , Eritrea , Ethiopia , Kenya , Sudan , Rwanda , Tanzania and Uganda.
These countries are currently faced long standing challenges of poverty ,environmental degradation ,high food prices ,energy deficit etc.. . this makes it imperative for inline investment projects such as generation of electricity and irrigation schemes.
Mr Bononge who is also the president of the Congo basin was recently quoted as saying that having a permanent commission is significant and has tremendously contributed to economic development in that area , in the case of the Congo.
Writing for a special supplement published by the EAST AFRICAN weekly ,Mr Bononge said, “I know water a basin commission can do, and my wish is for Nile basin to have it .water is everything ,it is life,” he said.
“ About 90 per cent of the agreement especially principles have been agreed upon,” said the Ugandan Minister for Water and Environment Maria Mutagamba.
The Nile com had resolved to stop negotiating after countries failed to agree on this issue ,which they forwarded to the head of state however ,nothing has happened since then ,the reason why the new chairman Mr Bononge has revived the negotiation . he and Henneitte NBI ‘s CEO optimistic that this time around countries will reconsider their positions or at least reach a compromise over this article on water security
In the mean time a number of projects in the NBI manly studies and research are coming to an end .for instance feasibility studies into electricity transmission interconnection for the EAST African countries along the regions inter-government power master plan underway.
These are plans to form consisting of power utilities from different countries to enable power trade across borders according to prevailing supply and demand condition in relation to react cost area for power protection.
There is however arrangement of the absence of a permanent commission through anew project dubbed institutional strengthening project (ISP) which avails opportunity to capture ,analyze and mainstream the products of the shored visions projects that are coming to the end.
The ISP is a three year that started in2008 and will complete in 2011 with funds through NBI trust funds ,the objectives of the ISP is to develop a competent ,effective and sustainable “one NBI” institutional architecture for effective implementation of programme and projects .
Development partner includes the world bank ,have been funding the NBI , since its formation in 1999 and have urged the politician to speed up the process on that the permanent commission is established and actual programme that need a permanent body fro execution as started.
Ends
Leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
About the author;
Leo Odera Omolo is a veteran Kenyan journalist operating as a freelance in the lakeside city of Kisumu and quite often in Uganda and northwestern Tanzania for specialized features.
Contact is by celphone Nos 0722-486161 and 0734 509215 day and night
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Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:30:21 -0800 [05:30:21 AM CST]
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: NILE BASIN HEADS OF STATE ARE LIKELY TO ESTABLISH PERMANENT BODY TO LOOK INTO THE USE OF THE RIVER’S WATER RESOURCES