An OSS mission, led by Mr. Abdelkader Dodo, Coordinator of the Water Program and accompanied by Mr. Joel Tossou, took part, on October 1st and 2nd, 2018 in Dakar, in the launching workshop of the “Institutional Capacity Building of the African Network of Basin Organizations (ANBO)” project contributing to the improvement of transboundary water governance in Africa »ANBO / UNDP / GEF.
The purpose of this meeting was to discuss and validate the project's action plan and budget and discuss the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders. The opening ceremony was chaired by the Secretary General of the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (ODSR) acting on behalf of the High Commissioner Mr. Ahmed Diane SEMEGA (absent), followed by that of the representative of UNESCO (Mr. Aurélien DAMIEN), then UNDP (Mrs. Akiko YAMAMOTO) and lastly the opening speech of the works by the ANBO Chairperson (Mrs. Judith ENAW).
The UNDP representative, through her two presentations, recalled the monitoring and evaluation GEF requirements and those of UNDP on environmental and social protection that are crucial for the implementation and execution of any project.
A UNESCO representative, Prof. Mohamed BAZZA, presented the contribution of UNESCO particularly in the knowledge and management of data and information on transboundary aquifers with the involvement of IGRAC, the Governance of groundwater.
The Project Leader, Mr. Abdoulaye NDIAYE, briefly outlined the objectives and results of the project, as well as the work plan with its budget, which were subject to a three-group-work for their amendment.
The objective of the project is to strengthen the coordination and collaboration capacities of African river and river basin organizations and commissions and the cooperation frameworks for a transboundary groundwater management, as well as those of their member States, with a view to improving transboundary governance of water in Africa. The project is a follow-up to the SITWA project (strengthening regional cooperation for sustainable management of transboundary water resources in Africa).
Along with this mission, the OSS also took part in the first meeting of the project's steering committee that brought together the representatives of basin organizations from the five regions of Africa, those of the financial and technical partners. The aim was to discuss and exchange the terms of reference of the steering committee in terms of its members, their roles and responsibilities and the pace of their meetings during the project. One of the committee's recommendations was the next ANBO General Assembly, to be held during the third quarter of 2019 and organized by the OSS.
Link to an article published on internet (in french): http://www.omvs.org/content/projet-raob-pnudfem-un-nouveau-d%C3%A9part-pour-le-raob