The Nile Equatorial Lakes region includes the six countries in the southern portion of the Nile Basin—Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda—as well as the downstream riparians Egypt and Sudan. The water resources of the Nile Equatorial Lakes region include one of the world’s great complexes of lakes, wetlands, and rivers. The region’s economies are characterized by rain-fed agriculture, subsistence farming, low industrialization, and poor infrastructure development. The objectives of NELSAP as defined by the Nile Equatorial Lakes Council of Ministers are to contribute to the eradication of poverty, promote economic growth, and reverse environmental degradation. NELSAP is expected to be a long-term program, with multiplier effects in broader economic integration as the program shows results on the ground.

 Continued coordination between NEL-SAP riparian countries and their project steering mechanisms is important to create synergies between different regional development efforts in the Nile Equatorial Lakes Region. This includes programs such as the Lake Victoria Development Program (LVDP) and the Lake Victoria Visioning Exercise of the East African Community (EAC), the Lake Victoria Environment Management Program (LVEMP), and the Lake Victoria Fisheries Development Program. Twelve NELSAP projects have been identified by the Nile Equatorial Lakes riparians in a highly consultative manner, targeting investments in Water Resources Management of shared sub-basins, Hydropower Development and Transmission Interconnection, Fisheries Development and Lakes Management, Water Resources Management, Agriculture Development, and Water Hyacinth Control. Depending on the scale and scope of the project, preparation will take between one and three years. Projects will be prepared and implemented by the countries involved and will be guided by regional project steering committees or any other suitable regional steering mechanism agreed upon by the participating riparian countries. A Coordination Unit (NEL-CU) has been established in Entebbe, Uganda in December 2001, to facilitate project preparation  and implementation.