Press Release : NILE BASIN INITIATIVE
The Nile Basin Initiative Steering Committee for the Shared Vision Program Coordination Project has been launched in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi today. This Committee comprised of two senior officials from each NBI country, will provide guidance to the NBI in the execution of basin wide projects in the Nile states.
During the launch of this Committee at the Safari Park Hotel today, the Kenyan Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources Management and Development, Professor George Krhoda expressed the need for states to cooperate and ensure that the NBI Shared Vision Program is executed effectively.
“We must succeed in spite of some cynics who have refused to join the bandwagon of information. May I assure you of political leadership, focused vision amongst our people and supportive development partners,” Professor Krhoda said.
The purpose of the NBI Shared Vision Program is to create an enabling environment for cooperative management and development in the Nile Basin through effective basin wide projects. This Program consists of seven thematic projects focusing on water resources, the environment, power, trade, agriculture, applied training, communication and stakeholder involvement and benefit sharing.
The objectives of the Shared Vision Program Coordination Project are to strengthen the capacity of the Nile Basin Initiative to execute basin wide programs and to ensure effective oversight and coordination of the NBI’s Shared Vision Program.
The Nile Basin Initiative is fielding its annual meetings in Nairobi, this week, to discuss undertakings required for the Nile Basin States to develop the Nile River in a cooperative manner to promote regional economic growth and security. These meetings are a symbol of commitment by the Nile Basin States to exploit the potential of the Nile to the benefit of all the people in the Nile states.
The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is a regional partnership initiated by the Nile countries in 1999 to realize a shared vision: “to achieve sustainable socio-economic development through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile Basin water resources”. The Nile countries are translating this vision into concrete investments and action on the ground that will build confidence and capacity across the basin. This is being done through the implementation of two complementary programs namely: the Shared Vision Program and Subsidiary Action Programs.
For more information please contact the Executive Director, Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat, Entebbe, Uganda. Tel. No. (256-41) 321329/321424