Nile Basin Initiative

Nile Basin Initiative News Items

New NBI Executive Director Takes Over NBI Management

The outgoing Executive Director (ED) of the NBI, Mr Audace Ndayizeye has handed over the office of the Nile Basin Initiative Executive Director to the newly appointed ED Ms. Henriette Ndombe. The hand over took place at a ceremony held on 2/9/09 at the offices of the Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat, attended by Nile basin secretariat staff, staff of the Directorate of Water Resources Planning of the Uganda Ministry of Water and Environment and FAO-Nile Project. Ms. Henriette Ndombe was appointed by the Council of Ministers of Water Affairs of the Nile Basin States (NILE-COM) during its 16th meeting held in July 2008 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo and will be in office for a period of 2 years.

Audace Ndayizeye hands over to Henriette Ndombe at the Nile-SEC

In his handing over remarks, Mr. Ndayizeye warmly welcomed the new Executive Director and assured her of support from the NBI staff, as signified by the cordial atmosphere at the ceremony, and pledged his support to the new ED when ever required. He thanked the Nile Council of Ministers of water affairs of the Nile basin countries, the Technical Advisory Committee (NILE-TAC) members, the Development Partners and the entire NBI staff for their cooperation and support he has enjoyed during his term of office. He said although remarkable progress has been made during his term of office, NBI still has big challenges to address, including poverty and fulfilling the enormous expectations created by the ongoing NBI programs/projects among others.

Transboundary Water Management (TWM) in Africa is a Key Issue in the Adaptation to Climate Change

A Round Table convened by the German Federal Government, the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), the Worldbank, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has found out that TWM in Africa is a key issue in the adaptation to climate change. This is among 5 findings of the round table, held in September at the Petersburg in Germany in 2007.
According to the findings:
   Climate change in Africa is a fact having a strong impact on Africa’s water resources. Adaptation to this impact is of crucial importance for political and socio-economic stability and economic growth.
   There is a great need for adaptation strategies to be developed together with all partners on the basis of sub-regional future scenarios, including expected changes to the hydrological cycle and impact on agriculture and food security.
   Institutions at all levels must develop capacities to cope with climate change and extreme events. Transboundary cooperation on floods and droughts through a better exchange of information and know-how as well as early warning systems will have to increase significantly. External assistance may be required.
   Water management plans and the infrastructure development planning have to take into account possible changes in the future availability of surface- and groundwater resources while balancing multiple uses across sectors.
   The effects of climate change will increase the importance of groundwater resources for future water and food security in the region.
   Intensified political dialogue and joint actions in the AMCOW-framework are needed on the effects of climate change and their implications for water management in Africa.
   AMCOW and regional institutions in TWM should develop capacities to better integrate information about climate change and climate variability into water resources policy, planning and management.
Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change and climate variability, a situation aggravated by the interaction of ‘multiple stresses’, occurring at various levels, and low adaptive capacity. Climate change is likely to aggravate water stress currently faced by some countries in the basin, while some countries that currently do not experience water stress will become at a risk of water stress.

Ms Henriette Ndombe appointed new Executive Director of NBI

Ms Henriette Ndombe

Henriette Ndombe, the National Project Coordinator of the Confidence Building and Stakeholder Involvement Project (CBSI), in DR Congo, is the new Executive Director of the Nile Basin Initiative. She was appointed by the Nile Council of Ministers at their 16th meeting held from 21-22/7/08 July 2008, at Grand Hotel, Kinshasa, DR Congo.
Ms. Henriette Ndombe is an Agricultural Engineer by profession. She started her service career at FAO in 1991 as National Expert in support of Women in agriculture. She joined UNDP/DRC where she worked as a Programme Officer. Ms Ndombe worked as national Expert at UNOPS. Her appointment will go in the history of the Nile basin as the first female Executive Director of NBI.
The office of the Executive Director rotates among the NBI countries in an alphabetical order and the term of office is 2 years. Currently the office is being held by Burundi, after Uganda. The term of office of the current ED ends on 31/8/08 . After DR Congo it will be the turn of Egypt to hold the office. Ms Ndombe is expected to assume office with effect from 1/9/08.
The Nile Council of Ministers, comprising of the Ministers of water affairs of the Nile Basin states, is the highest decision making organ of the Nile Basin Initiative . They meet annually to deliberate on NBI issues of policy nature.

Joel Arumadri & Daniel Massamba,
Nile SEC

The 16th Nile Council of Ministers and Technical Advisory Meetings of the NBI concluded successfully

The 16th Nile Council of Ministers of Water Affairs of the Nile Basin Initiative took place on July 21 and 22, 2008 at the Grand Hotel of Kinshasa under the chairmanship of H.E. José Endundo Bononge, Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The theme of the meeting was « Strengthening cooperation through consolidation of gains »

In attendance were Ministers of Burundi, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. Kenya was represented by M. Fred Mwango, and Eritrea by Ambassador Saleh Omer as an observer. Development partners as well as

H. E Nkulu Kilombo greets NILE-COM members

bilateral and multilateral partners also were present.
The importance of the conference was underlined right from the opening ceremony. In his opening address, Mr Nkulu Kilombo, DRC State Minister in the President’s Office, highlighted the need to strengthen cooperation among the Nile Basin countries through joint water resources management. “The commitment of the Democratic Republic of Congo to work jointly with other Nile Basin countries is a testimony of her commitment to support the objectives of the Nile Basin Initiative,” he declared.
Mr. Audace Ndayizeye, the Executive Director of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), underscored the importance of the ongoing NBI projects designed to fight poverty and promote socio-economic development of the Nile Basin countries.

In his welcome address, H.E. José Endundo Bononge, DRC Minister of Environment, pointed out that the forum was a milestone for all the Nile Basin countries as the basin is prone to high environmental pressure. To face the challenge, he underlined the importance of putting in place a framework for a joint and sustainable management of water resources as the potential benefits for development and the expectations it presents for the populations of the Nile basin and beyond are higher

Nile-COM Endorses Initiative to Address Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation in the Nile basin

The Nile Basin Council of Ministers (NILE-COM) has endorsed a concept note for the development of a project to address climate change impacts and adaptation in the Nile basin and given a go ahead to the Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat (Nile-SEC) for full project proposal development and mobilization of funds for the project.

Working Session of NILE-COM

This is contained in the signed minutes of the 16th NILE-COM meeting that took place from 21/7/08 – 22/7/08 at Grand Hotel, in Kinshasa, D.R Congo, attended by the Ministers of water of the Nile Basin Countries, members of the Technical Advisory Committee, development partners, observers, the Executive Director and NBI staff.

The objective of the initiative is to jointly assess vulnerability and address climate change related impacts and risks through appropriate alternatives and adaptation actions. Expected outcomes of the initiative are to include

Extreme climatic conditions in the Basin

understanding of climate change impacts on the Nile’s bio-physical system using best available tools and models, identification and mitigation of climate change risks within investment and development projects, enhancement of the scientific and adaptive capacity at the level of the basin and individual riparians, and integration of long term aspects of climate change on decision making on the Nile.

A presentation of the concept note by the Executive Director, Mr. Audace Ndayizeye, pointed out that climate change will aggravate the water stress currently faced by some countries in the basin, while some countries that currently do not experience water stress will become at a risk of water stress. According to the Executive Director, Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change and climate variability, a situation aggravated by the interaction of ‘multiple stresses’, occurring at various levels, and low adaptive capacity.

The nod by NILE-COM paves the way for NBI to address of climate change related issues in the basin. The NILE-COM is the highest decision making organ of the Nile Basin Initiative and it meets annually to deliberate on policy related issues of the NBI.

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