NAMAYANJA ROSE NSEREKO
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Vision 2040 and the second National Development Plan (NDPII) set ambitious targets for the country in general and specifically to the various sectors that make up the economy.
The actions required to meet the targets will put increased pressure on the existing water and environment resources. To meet Uganda’s 2040 economic growth targets, the current level of water delivery must be tripled, which will require substantive investment in environmental and water management.
This calls for a forum in which water and environment issues can be objectively discussed and innovations for optimal use of the water resources can be explored, progress agreed upon and pursued in a holistic manner. The substantial investment so far made in the water sector is buttressed by the establishment of the Water Resources Institute (WRI).
The WRI been established in Uganda as part of implementation of the Water Sector Reforms and in response to wide consultations that pointed out the need to address water resources related issues such as pollution, climate variability, and reduction in water availability, and to balance water needs for agriculture, energy, industry and households in the country.
The Vision of the WRI is that Uganda’s water resources are optimally utilised for all uses. Its core business is to be a centre of excellence that provides cutting edge applied research and training; delivers continuous professional skills development across all levels in water resources management and development, and serves as a neutral place for dialogue and outreach. It targets to develop professional skills across all levels on water resources management and development to influence practice and policy for sustainable social economic development in the country.
The Institute will, therefore, bridge the gap between theory and practice; and profile the central position of water resources in national development with a vision of ensuring that Uganda’s water resources are utilised optimally.
As part of the work of the WRI, the first ever Water and Environment Week was held from March 19 to 22, 2018. This was attended by over 300 participants from a cross section of stakeholders and it involved technical presentations in eight parallel sessions, eight short training courses, launch of the WRI, celebrations of the World Water Day 2018 and four field visits to various areas to assess progress made in addressing water and environment issues on the ground.
The Water and Environment Week attracted high profile government officials, the private sector, academic institutions, development partners and civil society. The water and environment week has been planned to be annual event.
Since its launch on March 21, 2018 the WRI has received support from the World Bank through the Korea Trust Fund for two years amounting to $600,000 (about Shs2.2 billion). Under this support, the Minister of Water and Environment (MWE) will collaborate with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Lands of South Korea and its affiliated institutions such as K-Water to operationalise the WRI. A team from K-Water visited Uganda from July 15 to 21, 2018 for a diagnostic analysis of the needs of the WRI and provide guidance on the set up and operationalization of the institute.
During this visit, the K-Water team discussed issues of strategic and technical coordination of the activities of the institute as well as design of face to face and online training courses with their Ugandan counterparts. Training courses were later to be organised and conducted both in South Korea and Uganda. Facilities in the institute are to be improved based on the diagnostic analysis.
The Water Resources Institute has been provided for in the Water Policy and Act, which is in the final stages of review and update.
Progress on the Water Resources Institute was reported to the top policy committee of the MWE, which is chaired by the Minister of Water and Environment, at the end of June 2018. The committee commended the progress being made and made a number of decisions such as regular reports and utilisation of people who have retired from the sector.
However, there is need to ensure that the WRI is well catered for in the Water Policy and law to give it a legal basis as well as carry out training programmes to save on costs and do more with the available resources.
More support is, however, needed from partners in ensuring that the institute becomes fully operational. Possible areas of support include developing a business plan for the institute, identifying and establishing strategic partnerships and improving visibility of the WRI and operationalising the management and coordination structures of the WRI.
The writer is the National Treasurer of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), the ruling political party in Uganda.
