Freshwater Basin Management:
Experiences and Lessons
Learnt
“The Nile Basin Initiative"
(NBI)
Meraji O. Y. Msuya
Executive Director, NBI Secretariat

The
Nile
Basin
 Burundi
 D.R. Congo
 Egypt
 Eritrea
 Ethiopia
 Kenya
 Rwanda
 Sudan
 Tanzania
 Uganda
Characteristics
 Poverty
 Growing Population
 Degrading environ.
 Vulnerability & risk
 Economics..
nothing flows
Opportunities
Cooperative action
for win-win gains &
regional
development –
removing serious
obstacles to
sustainable
development

The Strategic Action
Program
The Vision
To achieve
sustainable
socio-economic
development
through equitable
utilization of, and
benefit from, the
common Nile Basin
water resources.
Shared Vision
Shared Vision
Program
Subsidiary
Action Prog.
Action on the ground

Shared Vision Program(SVP)
A grant-funded program designed to:-
 Strengthen and develop trust
 Building capacity within the
countries
 Create the enabling environment
for the implementation of
development projects

SVP Project Portfolio
Function Type
Common
Elements
• Basin-wide
dialogue
•Strategic &
analytical
frameworks
•Best practice,
tools & demos
•Stakeholder
involvement
•Human &
institutional
capacity
T
H
E
M
A
T
I
C
F
A
C
I
L
I
T
A
T
I
V
E
Project
1. Nile Transboundary Environmental Action
2. Nile Basin Regional Power Trade
3. Efficient Water Use for Agricultural
Production
4. Water Resources Planning & Management
5. Confidence Building & Stakeholder
Involvement
6. Applied Training
7. Socio-Economic Development & Benefit
Sharing

Nile Transboundary
Environmental Action
The Need
Transboundary
assets & threats
Relationship
environment &
development
Sustainable
development
opportunities
Stakeholders forum
Objectives
•Provide strategic
framework for management
of transboundary water &
environmental challenges
•Improved understanding of
relationship of water
resources development &
environment
•Provide forum to discuss
development paths with
wide range of stakeholders

Nile Transboundary
Environmental Action
Nile River Basin
Transboundary
Environmental
Analysis
 A collective synthesis of basin-wide
environmental trends,
threats and priorities.
 Agenda for Environmental
Action – basis for joint
investment opportunities

Transboundary Environmental
Action
Major Components
1. Institutional strengthening,
knowledge base and information
management
2. Community-level land and water
conservation
3. Environmental education and
awareness
4. Wetlands and biodiversity
conservation

The Shared Vision Program:
Project Linkages
Socio-Econ Development
Socio-Economic
Development
Basin-wide enabling
environment
Environment
•Strategic
framework &
transboundary
action
Applied Training
Training institutes &
curriculum
& Benefits
Water Resources
•IWRM Policy & Planning
•Communication, information &
analysis platform
•Development Scenarios
•Private sector engagement
•Demonstrations/Pilots
Communication
Public information
Stakeholder involvement
Power Trade
•Power forum
•Power development options
Agriculture
•Regional Cons & Training

Challenges/Risks to
project Implementation:
 Commitment of the Nile Basin
Countries
 Institutional leadership
 Regional coordination
capacity
 National Institutional
capacity
 Insecurity and conflict

Lessons & Experiences
 Development of a Shared Vision
 Moving from challenges and
constraints to opportunities
 Sharing benefits not sharing
water
 Institutional and legal
framework
 Investment and appropriate
frameworks

Materials and Information
 Visit Nile-SEC Web page :
www.nilebasin.org
Email: nbisec@nilesec.org