“Shared watercourses are central to livelihoods and socio-economic development within the region; however, management of these watercourses remains a challenge”, said Dr. Patrice Kabeya, Senior Programmes Officer for the SADC Water Division. “The SADC revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses of August 2000 is one of the various instruments that the SADC Secretariat has developed to foster closer cooperation among Member States for the protection, management, and use of shared watercourses in the region”.
The Protocol advocates for the promotion and facilitation of the establishment of shared watercourse agreements and institutions for effective management of the water resources. Over the last two decades, SADC has facilitated the establishment of several river basin organisations (RBOs), whose main role is to ensure coordinated and sustainable management of shared watercourses within the SADC region. This is executed through institutional arrangements, regional and national policy frameworks, and instruments and tools that guide management decision making.
RBOs in the region are faced with many challenges including high levels of poverty among populations living within river basins, environmental degradation, weak institutions, poor governance, inadequate financial resources to implement decisions and strategic programmes, and a lack of financial sustainability.
Reflecting on the issue of sustainability of RBOs, Mr. Alex Simalabwi, GWPSA’s Executive Secretary and Head of GWP Africa Coordination, reiterated the need to be innovative in financial sustainability for the effective execution of their mandates.