http://hdl.handle.net/11671/654 2021-05-04T22:52:31Z 2021-05-04T22:52:31Z Lake Victoria Basin Commission http://hdl.handle.net/11671/658 2020-06-25T22:46:45Z 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

Mara: Commitment to save ecosystem Lake Victoria Basin Commission Introduction The quarter ending September 2012 and most of our activities in the past year point to the fact that the issues and challenges facing the Lake Victoria Basin remain largely the same. Environmentally, the Basin faces challenges of degradation due to deforestation, poor watershed management and land use, uncontrolled water abstraction, pollution, and the water hyacinth and other invasive weeds, to mention a few. On the economic front, the Basin is faced by extremely low investment in transport, poor farming and industrial production methods, as well as limitations caused by poor infrastructure. Importantly, the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) in particular and the East African Community as a whole are challenged by the need to transform the Basin into a truly regional Economic Growth Zone in the shortest time possible. Strategic Interventions I am glad to mention that despite the above-mentioned challenges, LVBC and its partner institutions are working tirelessly to address and reverse the environmental challenges of the Basin through regional and national interventions. Under the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase II (LVEMP II), for instance, a water hyacinth surveillance, monitoring and control strategy and a sustainable land management strategy for the Lake Victoria Basin have been completed. Th e two strategies shall support improvement in the environment, safeguard human health and ensure that land in the Basin is managed in a sustainable manner. In addition, industries to voluntarily adopt Cleaner Production Technologies and I am glad to note that more and more industries are joining the endeavour to reduce point-source pollution in the Basin. Th e Community Driven Development projects are also starting to take shape at the grassroots in selected sub- catchments.

2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Lake Victoria Basin Commission http://hdl.handle.net/11671/657 2020-06-25T22:46:29Z 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

Investment Opportunities Unveiled Lake Victoria Basin Commission Welcome to the second issue of the Lake Victoria Basin Digest for the period ending March 2011!The Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) organised a successfully-concluded first-ever Lake Victoria Basin Investment Forum, held in Mwanza, Tanzania, in early December last year. This issue provides insight into the rich discussions that took place during the plenary and seminar sessions of this eyeopening event. Forum resolutions, along with a summary of abstracts, are provided for your attention and ease of reference. The message from the Executive Secretary, Dr. Tom O. Okurut, provides synopsis of the growth, successes and challenges of the Commission during the fi ve years of its actualisation. He provides focus on the partnerships that have been progressively nurtured as well as the projects and programmes that emerged from such relationships. Pursuant to their oversight role, members of the East African Legislative Assembly Account Committee visited the LVBC Secretariat and made on-spot assessment of selected activities of the Mount Elgon Regional Ecosystem Conservation Programme (MERECP) in the Mount Elgon region of Kenya. In this issue, we bring you what transpired during the Committee’s interaction with the LVBC staff and the benefi ciaries of MERECP’s activities. Our civil society partners, Vi-Agroforestry, have also provided an elaborate insight into new climate change counteracting efforts by a Kenyan agroforesty initiative. Finally, the Commission was graced by the visits of two Deputy Secretaries General of the East African Community and USAID-East Africa’s Regional Climate Change and Natural Resources Advisor to the LVBC Secretariat. We bring you stories of their interactions with us.

2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Lake Victoria Basin Commission http://hdl.handle.net/11671/656 2020-06-25T23:09:29Z 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

Leadership Change at LVBC Lake Victoria Basin Commission During the period April-June 2011, we bid farewell to the former Executive Secretary of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) Dr. Tom Okurut and welcomed Dr. Canisius Kanangire who commenced his fi ve-year tenure of duty in June 2011. In this issue, Dr. Kanangire summarises his vision to scale-up the Commission’s achievements during the next fi ve years. One of the biggest achievements during the last quarter was the signing of the Grant Protocol of Agreement between the East African Community (EAC) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) as well as the subsequent signing of Subsidiary Grant Transfer Agreements between the EAC Secretariat and each of the fi ve Partner States to commence the implementation of the physical infrastructural works for the Lake Victoria Water Supply and Sanitation (LVWATSAN) Programme Phase II. The details of this landmark project are part and parcel of this Issue. The Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase II (LVEMP II) was also blessed with the coming on board of the Republic of Burundi and the Republic of Rwanda after completing the necessary preparatory procedures. We bring you summary information on this progress. Finally, management has introduced a “Partners Forum” to allow all institutions and stakeholders working towards the sustainable development agenda of the Lake Victoria Basin to make contributions to this newsletter. The Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development as well as Vi Agroforestry have honoured this section with its fi rst two contributions. I wish you good reading.

2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Lake Victoria Basin Commission http://hdl.handle.net/11671/655 2020-06-25T22:45:55Z 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

Invest in Lake Victoria Basin Lake Victoria Basin Commission Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Lake Victoria Basin Digest! The Lake Victoria Basin Commission, an institution of the East African Community, is playing an increased role as a coordinator of the sustainable development agenda of the Lake Victoria Basin. Although the Commission receives substantial regional and international media coverage, there has been a gap between its accomplishments and what is known by its stakeholders. After the inaugural issue, we shall embark on publishing the newsletter on a quarterly basis. This inaugural issue of the Lake Victoria Basin Digest will give you an opportunity to read a message from the Executive Secretary, Dr. Tom O. Okurut, about the rationale behind publishing this newsletter and what we hope to achieve through this process. As part of the September 2010 World Water Week events in Stockholm, Sweden, the Commission organised a successful seminar under the theme: “Management of Transboundary Water Resources – the case of Lake Victoria Basin”. Our lead story highlights the thematic areas that were discussed and analysed at the seminar as well as some of the participants’ recommendations. The Secretary General of the East African Community, Ambassador Juma V. Mwapachu, made two landmark visits to the Lake Victoria Basin during the second and third quarters of this year to farmiliarise himself with the ongoing projects and programmes of the Commission. In this issue, we bring to your attention the Secretary General’s two visits; the fi rst one in the Mwanza region of Tanzania and the second on the Kenyan side of the Basin. Other important stories in this issue include the successful completion of the appraisal mission for the Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Project; the kick-off of the Transboundary Water for Biodiversity and Human Health in the Mara River Basin Project (TWBMRB); the launching of the Commission’s research vessel, RV Jumuiya and commentaries by our specialists on topical developments at the Commission.

2010-01-01T00:00:00Z