The second Lake Victoria Basin Stakeholders’ Forum was opened by Honorable Jaffer Kingi, Kenyan Minister in charge of East African Community.  The event took place at the Tom Mboya Labour College.

Organized under the theme “Strengthening Synergies and Cooperation in Sustainable Development in the Lake Victoria Basin”, the forum is expected to provide a platform for exchange of knowledge, lessons and experiences that will inform and shape efforts geared towards sustainable development of the Lake Victoria Basin.

The two-day meeting brings together over 300 participants drawn from all key stakeholders in the Lake Victoria Basin ranging from political and government institutions to civil society, diplomatic corps, members of parliaments and private sector.

In his opening remarks, Hon. Kingi, who was representing the Kenyan Prime Minister, Hon. Raila Odinga, praised the East African Community to have achieved a number of milestones, including the signing of the Customs Union Protocol in March 2004 and its ratification in January 2005 as well as the joining of Burundi and Rwanda as members.   He anticipated that the Protocol on the establishment of the EAC Common Market would be signed by the EAC Heads of State during the upcoming summit scheduled in November 2009.

The opening session was followed by four breakout thematic groups to deliberate on Ecosystems, Natural Resource and Environment; Production and Income Generation; Living Conditions, Quality of Life and Population; and Governance, Institutions and Policies.

CBSI Regional Programme Manager Gordon Mumbo shared with participants who attended the thematic group on Ecosystems, Natural Resource and Environment, the NBI’s experience on “Building stakeholders confidence and cooperation in the use of natural resources: the case for Nile Waters.”  The session was attended by 70 participants.

The Lead Partners Interagency Network Forum (LPIANF) was established in July 2007 and is currently constituted by six lead agencies namely; The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), UNHABITAT, Lake Victoria Region Local Authorities Cooperation (LVRLAC), Nile Basin Discourse (NBD), and East Africa SusWatch Network.