by Stanley Mubako – SANF 04 no 81
Country water partnerships in southern Africa have been challenged to come up with business plans that ensure impact at grassroots level, where most of the “action” happens.
Obonetse Masedi of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Water Division made the call at the Global Water Partnership – Southern Africa’s (GWP-SA) fourth annual consulting partners meeting held in Swaziland in July.
The meeting, with the theme “Impact through Partnerships,” was described as a platform that promotes dialogue on water issues.
Dialogue facilitated through processes such as this one, in addition to related national and regional initiatives, are instrumental in preventing potential conflicts due to competition for the scarce water resources in the region.
The Water Division’s Regional Strategic Action Plan, which is designed to support the implementation of the SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses, is devoted to the establishment and strengthening of river basin organisations.
River basin organisations play a pivotal role in the preparation of plans for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), defined as “a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximise the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.”
Global Water Partnership is facilitating this planning process which forms the basis for key infrastructure projects for the provision of water in a number of African countries.
The water management plans will contribute towards regional integration, poverty reduction and the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Malawi and Zambia have developed integrated water resource management plans with the active collaboration of the two countries’ water partnerships. The rest of the partnerships in the region are already drawing lessons from experiences of the two countries.
“SADC believes in a participatory and consultative process and the Country Water Partnerships (CWPs) are key to this. It is important that the role of the partnerships is clear and effective. The partnerships are the key vehicles representing country stakeholders through which the process of consensus-building proceeds,” said Masedi.
The recently launched Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM), comprising eight riparian southern African countries, is one of the institutions set up to assist in the realisation of the objectives of the shared watercourse protocol.
Being the largest shared river basin wholly in the region, the Zambezi has potential for becoming the development hub for southern Africa through the implementation of various projects.
Swaziland’s Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, Mfomfo Nkambule noted that water is central to the economies and lives of citizens of the region, and that Swaziland’s experience has proved that governments cannot be effective if working alone in managing a country’s water resources.
The country has launched the Swaziland National Water Authority, a highly participatory body meant to bring direction and vision to the management of water resources in the country. The launch is a first step towards implementation of intensive water sector reforms that are being introduced by a new Water Act. The Swaziland country water partnership fully participated in the launch.
The 2004 GWP-SA consultative meeting also saw a relatively larger representation from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the first annual consulting partners meeting held in July 2001 in Harare.
Participation by the country in water issues in the region is important because the Congo river in the DRC is the second largest in Africa after the Nile and the Congo River Basin is the biggest, wholly within one country. SADC’s West Corridor energy project will harness energy from the Congo river.
The DRC delegates requested that they be given funding priority in implementing water projects through their country water partnership, so that they can catch up with the rest of the region.
Masedi urged country water partnerships to be active in all member states in order to promote the process of consensus-building among stakeholders as southern Africa, in his view, has the potential to serve as an IWRM model for the rest of the world. (SARDC)
