8th SADC River Basin Organisations Workshop in Namibia // African RBOs Play an Active Role in Facilitating Investment for Water-Energy-Food Security

The 8^th Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) River Basin Organisations (RBOs) workshop took place from 8-9 May 2018 in Windhoek, Namibia. During the workshop, participants recommended that SADC RBOs play a more active role in facilitating investment for water, energy and food security in the region.

The theme of the workshop was “securing strategic investments to realise the benefits of transboundary water cooperation.” Its objective was to “share experiences on how RBOs can play a key role in the basin-wide planning and implementation of investments needed to realise the benefits of transboundary water cooperation.”

SADC member states show a strong commitment to transboundary water cooperation, as reflected by their continued support of RBO operations. However, RBOs are coming under increased pressure to demonstrate tangible benefits for the financial contributions made by their member states and partners, hence the workshop focus.

The SADC RBOs were set up and mandated to serve as advisory bodies to member states on the sustainable management and development of shared water resources across transboundary river basins. Their key achievements to date are in trust and confidence building, conflict avoidance, knowledge base development, information dissemination, awareness raising, stakeholder involvement, capacity building, joint integrated river basin management and development planning, and creating an enabling environment for investments. Their role in securing and implementing investments has thus far been limited.

There is broad consensus that RBOs need to play a more significant role in securing strategic investments that deliver the benefits of transboundary water cooperation and contribute to the water, energy and food security of the SADC region. The water-energy-food (WEF) Nexus approach has the potential to help the RBOs play a more important role in facilitating investment.

During the workshop, Mr Kidanemariam Jembere of GWP Africa provided an overview of the European Union, which financed SADC’s Water-Energy-Food Nexus Regional Dialogue and Investment project, implemented by GWP Southern Africa (GWPSA). Mr Jembere provided updates on the processes and activities leading towards developing a SADC Regional WEF Nexus Operational Framework, and a prioritised list of WEF Nexus Investment Projects. He clarified that the first phase of the project creates an enabling environment for WEF Nexus investment in the second phase of the project (expected to start in 2020). Mr Jembere stated that the project successfully identified areas in the SADC region in which the WEF Nexus approach should be applied and completed the draft outline of a SADC WEF Nexus Operational Framework.

Mr Olivier Cogel, Advisor to the EU Regional WEF Nexus Projects, made a keynote presentation that emphasised the leading role that RBOs can play in promoting a comprehensive joint multi-sector investment programme aimed at achieving water-energy-food security.

The 8^th SADC RBOs workshop, hosted by the Government of Namibia on behalf of the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM), succeeded in providing a platform for detailed interrogation of the role of RBOs in the basin-wide planning and implementation of investments needed to realise the benefits of transboundary water cooperation. The workshop was funded by the Federal Republic of Germany in delegated cooperation with the United Kingdom and implemented by the GIZ. The workshop was organised by the GWPSA on behalf of the SADC Secretariat and OKACOM. It was officially opened by Mr Percy W. Misika, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry of the Republic of Namibia.