March 5, 2004

Project Summary

Project name: Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and Strategic Action Program Development for the Lake Victoria Basin


2. GEF Implementing Agency: World Bank

3. Country or countries in which the project is being implemented:

Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi


4. Country Eligibility:



Conforms with criteria of GEF instrument and guidelines for OP8.

5. GEF focal area(s): International Waters

6. Operational program/Short-term measure: OP#8

7. Project linkage to national priorities, action plans, and programs:


The project is in line with the recently completed Vision and Strategy Framework for Management and Development of the Lake Victoria Basin and with the PRSPs of the countries, stressing a healthy ecosystem, poverty reduction, and sustainable economic growth. The project will contribute key inputs to the design of a follow-up project to the Lake Victoria Environment Project and projects under the Nile Basin Initiative.


8. GEF national operational focal point and date of country endorsement:


Kenya: Letter from Mrs. Rachel Arunga, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife, dated November 7, 2003.


Tanzania: Letter from R.O.S. Mollel, Permanent Secretary, Vice President’s Office, both in his capacity as GEF Focal Point for Tanzania and also as Chairman of the Regional Policy Steering Committee, dated October 24, 2003.


Uganda: Letter from M.C. Muduuli, Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, dated November 3, 2003.


Rwanda: Letter from Mr. Cyprien Bishangara, Director for Environment (expected soon).


Burundi: Letter from Mr. Jerome Karimumuryango, Director General, Ministry of Environment (expected soon).


Note that the endorsements from Rwanda and Burundi are late. These two countries will not be involved in the project until their endorsements are received. At that time they will be transmitted to the GEF Secretariat.


9. Project Objectives and Activities


The objective of the project is to undertake a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) of the Lake Victoria Basin in order to identify a Strategic Action/Investment Program (SAP) addressing key environmental issues and poverty alleviation by promoting sustainable economic growth. The SAP will be endorsed by the Regional Policy Steering Committee (RPSC) and the Ministerial Committee on Lake Victoria Development Program (CLVDP) and with appropriate involvement of Rwanda and Burundi.


Activities will include the preparation of survey papers to summarize existing scientific findings and available data from the first phase of the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (LVEMP) and other sources on topics such as: fisheries, water hyacinth, biodiversity, phosphorus, toxic substances, persistent chemicals, pesticide residues, blue-green algae, nitrogen, and land use. Numerous public consultations will be undertaken under this project and two regional workshops convened. The work on the TDA will include an analysis of key environmental issues in Burundi and Rwanda affecting the health of the Lake Basin Ecosystem (see Annex 1 on how key subregional and regional initiatives complement each other).


Subsequently, the TDA will be analyzed in a cooperative, participatory manner to design a Strategic Action/Investment Program (SAP) in the Lake Basin including identification of priority interventions in Burundi and Rwanda. The SAP will be used as a input into the design of the follow-on LVEMP2; the latter will finance some of the identified interventions in the SAP. The TDA and SAP will serve as strategic documents for the Lake Victoria Development Program (LVDP) of the East African Community and will in this regard guide domestic and external investments promoting environmentally friendly market driven growth in the Lake Basin.


10. Project rationale:


To collate, analyze and identify available transboundary environmental concerns established under the LVEMP and using other existing data. The analysis would identify the key drivers contributing to the environmental degradation along with environmental hotspots. The TDA will create a benchmark for further monitoring of the health of the Lake Victoria Basin ecosystem. The TDA will deepen the NBI TDA undertaken within the framework of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) for the Lake Victoria Basin area.


To prepare an SAP in a consultative manner in order to identify key policy, legal, and institutional reforms and physical investments needed to address the degradation of the environment and opportunities for sustainable economic growth.






To provide inputs into the design of regional projects addressing sustainable economic growth and environmental issues.



Indicators:


Awareness raised amongst key stakeholders on the root causes of environmental degradation in the Lake Victoria basin (such as reflected in minutes from RPSC meetings focused on the Kagera and Lake Victoria Basin).


TDA approved by the Ministerial Committee on Lake Victoria Development Programme (CLVDP) and focal points in Burundi and Rwanda.


TDA recognized by the NILE-COM (NILE-COM minutes).



SAP approved by the CLVDP and focal points in Burundi and Rwanda with policy, legal, institutional and investment projects addressing key environmental issues and promoting sustainable economic growth.


Coordination and synergy established between regional efforts addressing environmental issues in the Lake Basin (CLVP minutes, NILE-COM and NEL-COM Minutes); see Annex 1, which shows how various initiatives complement each other.



Improved analysis in LVEMP2 project documentation and NBI Kagera River Basin Project documentation.

11. Project outcomes:


1. Policy, legal and institutional reforms undertaken to promote cooperative management and development.


2. Priority investments implemented addressing the deterioration of the Lake Basin Ecosystem within the framework of LVEMPII and the NBI.

Indicators:


Policy documents, legislation enacted, regional EA standards etc.


Priority interventions financed under national and regional frameworks.

Nutrient (P & N levels) stabilized or reduced in the Lake Victoria.

Water Hyacinth inflow from Kagera river reduced and managed at non-nuisance levels in the Lake.

Environmentally friendly market driven economic growth indicators.


12. Project activities to achieve outcomes (including estimated cost in US$ of each activity):


TDA regional consultant ($85,300)


TDA national consultants ($179,500)


TDA stakeholder workshops ($96,600)


Goods and operating costs including national reviews and working groups in support of TDA work ($95,600)


Strategic Action Plan (SAP) main consultancy ($185,000)






SAP training and workshops ($151,400)


Regional Operations Officer (both for TDA and SAP; $30,000)


Goods and operating costs including national reviews and working groups in support of SAP work ($116,600).


Indicators:




Satisfactory TDA produced and approved by Ministerial Committees.



Workshops held.






SAP endorsed by the Regional Policy Steering Committee (RPSC) and the Ministerial Committee on Lake Victoria Development Program (CLVDP) and with appropriate involvement of Rwanda and Burundi.



Workshops held.


13. Estimated MSP budget (in US$)
GEF MSP $1,000,000

NBI/NELSAP Kagera River Basin $1,000,000

& Development Project

IDA LVEMP1 Supplemental Credit Uganda $1,500,000

IDA LVEMP1 Supplemental Credit Tanzania $1,500,000

PRHD grants (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda) $1,000,000

Government of Kenya $ 200,000

Government of Tanzania $ 200,000

Government of Uganda $ 200,000

TOTAL PROJECT FINANCING: $6,600,000


14. Information on institution submitting project brief:


The Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community (EAC) came into force in July 2000, and it mandates the EAC to coordinate management aspects of the Lake Victoria Basin through its Committee for Lake Victoria Development (CLVD). A transitional framework, the Lake Victoria Development Programme (LVDP) has been established in EAC. The Regional Policy Steering Committee (RPSC), at its meeting on September 22-23, 2003, decided that the Office of the Regional Executive Secretary for the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project would be the implementing entity for this MSP under the umbrella of EAC and that Rwanda and Burundi would be appropriately included in work (participation at regional workshops; work on specific transboundary issues related to Kagera river). The main reason for the decision are the procurement and financial management capacity of the Office for project implementation. It should be noted, however, that the EAC Secretariat has the responsibility for the overall coordination of regional activities in the Lake Victoria Basin.


15. Information on project proposers:

Kenya: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (to be confirmed; see

letter of Country Director Diop to Minister of Finance, January 29, 2004);

Tanzania: Vice President’s Office (VPO)

Uganda: Ministry of Lands, Water and Environment

Rwanda: Ministry of Environment

Burundi: Ministry of Environment


16. Information to be completed by Implementing Agency: The Office of the Regional Executive Secretary (RES) was established for the Implementation of LVEMP1. It is under the Tanzanian Vice President’s Office and is headed by Mr. Christopher Nyirabu, a former Permanent Secretary. The Office of the RES is accredited for Bank procurement, which is an important reason for its selection by the RPSC as the implementing agency, but the work of implementing the grant is undertaken under the umbrella of EAC and with appropriate involvement of all five countries.



17. Project identification number: P085782



18. World Bank contact person: Christophe Crepin

Sr. Regional Coordinator

Africa Region, The World Bank

202-473-9727

ccrepin@worldbank.org


Alternate contact person: Ernst Lutz

Senior Economist, Task Team Leader for LVEMP

ESSD Operations for Eastern Africa

Africa Region, The World Bank

Phone: 202-473-1043

Fax: 202-614-0868

E-mail: elutz@worldbank.org



19. Project linkage to World Bank Country Assistance Program:


The Lake Victoria Environmental Management Program and potential follow-up activities are reflected in the Country Assistance Strategies (CASs) of each of the participating countries.


PROJECT DESCRIPTION

1. Background & Context

Lake Victoria


Lake Victoria is the world’s second largest freshwater lake (and Africa’s largest). It features the world’s largest freshwater fishery with significant local consumption and regional and global exports, in particular to the European Union, and it is a global center of aquatic biodiversity. Its critical importance to the region’s society and economy as a source of food, potable water, transportation, agricultural water and power production is unquestionable. The lakeshore populations are growing rapidly with among the highest population growth rates in the world. The lake, the lakeshore and the lake basin are obvious engines of economic growth in countries where poverty alleviation is the countries’ first priority. In the early 1990’s, recognition of the region’s growth potential was tempered with concern for possible degradation of the very same lake and lakeshore attributes.


The lake has experienced a decline in water quality since the 1960’s. Phosphorus concentrations and algal biomasses have increased significantly, and filamentous and colonial blue-green algae now dominate the algal community. Water hyacinth invaded the lake, and in the mid- to late 1990s reduced the efficiency of operation of the Owen Falls hydroelectric plant and blocked access to ports, fish landings and watering points. The water quality changes favored the success of the Nile perch and contributed to the reduction of endemic fish species.


Response of the Riparian Communities


While ecosystemic changes during the 1980s and early to mid-1990s were well documented, the causes for these changes were uncertain because basic data had not been acquired on the quantity and quality of inputs from rivers and the atmosphere, the lakewide concentrations of nutrients, the internal circulation of waters and the exchange of nutrients between different water layers and between sediments, the factors which may be limiting algal growth, and the relative importance of different human activities in causing these changes.


The riparian countries recognized that sustainable economic development of the lake and its regional resources was the goal. It was also recognized that the countries did not have sufficient environmental information nor management approaches to insure sustainability of the development of the lake and lake basin resources.


The three riparian countries around Lake Victoria (Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania), with funding from the Global Environmental Facility and the International Development Agency, responded to these issues and other fisheries’, land use, and socioeconomic concerns regarding Lake Victoria through the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (LVEMP). LVEMP is a comprehensive program conducted by the three countries. Its objectives were to understand the environmental changes and to start stabilizing and/or rehabilitating the lake ecosystem for the benefit of the 30 million people who live in the catchment, their national economies and the global community.


LVEMP, together with the EU Lake Victoria Fisheries Project (LVFRP) and other bilateral efforts, have developed significant knowledge and technical capacity in the national agencies to enable assessment of the environmental stresses confronting the lake and its catchment. Additional research on key issues is needed, on the basis of which one can then prioritize actions and set objectives for management of the lake and its resources. This should be done in a participatory manner in which local community interests and concerns are appropriately reflected. In many cases final objective setting will require agreement of the other riparian states and the endorsement by EAC via its Secretariat. The successful setting of objectives for water quality management requires a broad vision of what the riparian peoples desire for Lake Victoria in the future. This will require blending individual sector knowledge and visions for their resource with the more general and integrative interests of the communities that enjoy and require beneficial uses of the lake and its tributary waters.


Current situation


The LVEMP was perhaps initially intended to be the "savior" of Lake Victoria during its project period. But this was only partly feasible (such as with the very successful hyacinth control program). It took a long time for the problems of the Lake and its catchment to become apparent, and it will take time for these problems to be stabilized or reversed. The LVEMP could thus be seen as a first step in a process that leads to a stabilization and/or clearly identifiable improvement in sustainable use of the natural resources of the Lake. From this perspective, the LVEMP had the objective of data collection, issue identification and prioritization, and it presented an opportunity to pilot potential solutions to identified problems.


The LVEMP has resulted in an improved ability in the riparian governments to embark on a long-term program of resource management and environmental improvement (such as through equipment purchase and training). The LVEMP is now in its last year of implementation, and many objectives have been achieved. To obtain higher synchronization among the three Partner countries, to allow effective implementation with the remaining resources (incl. those of the Supplemental, which just became effective in Uganda), and to reduce the need for “bridging funds” between LVEMP1 and LVEMP2, the countries are in the process of seeking extensions of the closing dates of the project to December 31, 2005.


Achievements of LVEMP include:



2. Project Rationale and Objectives


The establishment of the East African Community and the subsequent materialization of an East African Development Strategy (2001-2005) have designated the Lake Victoria Basin as a regional economic growth zone. An important implication of this is the need to prepare comprehensive strategies and action plans for sustainable development of the whole of Lake Victoria Basin. Through funding from NORAD, the countries, together with EAC, have undertaken a visioning process for the basin, which has engaged stakeholders in defining a long-term vision for sustainable development of the Basin as well as their own future, and has harmonized the visions of stakeholder groups across sectors, regions, and levels of governance.


The next step in the transition from the knowledge acquisition and capacity building exercise of the LVEMP to an intervention that uses the information and capacity developed to promote environmentally and socially sustainable economic development is for the riparian governments and donors to agree upon a strategic framework outlining policies and actions for reaching the goals of this vision and a sustainable future for the Lake Victoria Basin (while at the same time research, data collection and analysis continue). It is crucial that these action plans be based on the best information available on the current status of the lake in each of the Basin countries (including Rwanda and Burundi) and are developed in a transboundary way, i.e. not allowing separate, potentially different (regarding standards of environmentally and socially sustainable development) national economic development plans to evolve. Without this common standard/definition of environmentally and socially sustainable development across the whole, private sector development will probably gravitate to the areas of weakest environmental control, aggravating environmental damage in these areas and creating a disincentive to countries adopting higher environmental standards.


The proposed GEF Medium Size Project (MSP) grant would support a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and a Strategic Action Program (SAP). In particular, the project would work from the results of the visioning process which has been conducted over the past two years to implement a TDA and SAP process, based on all the information collected during LVEMP and from other sources. The work conducted would assist the riparian countries to identify the priority transboundary concerns from a geographic perspective along with their root causes in sectoral activities and then identify policy, legal, and institutional reforms and investments to address them. Rwanda and Burundi would participate in the work, given the importance of the Kagera river system for the Lake.


The TDA is needed for analysis and recording of living resources, environmental characteristics and human uses, on a comprehensive, regional basis, according to agreed, consistent and compatible procedures.


Based on the results of the TDA, the SAP will propose investments and policy/institutional reforms to address the issues, particularly those with transboundary effects. In this way conflicts related to the use of the goods and services generated by ecosystems in the lake basin will be minimized through a coordinated program of action conducted jointly by the three EAC Partner countries and with appropriate involvement of Rwanda and Burundi.

3. Regional Integration.


Experience from cooperative development efforts on shared water resources systems indicate is that they can bring about closer regional integration and economies of scale that, in turn, will promote peaceful solutions to common problems, common environmental benefits, regional investments (e.g. hydropower development), economic growth, and increased food security. Cooperative mechanisms such as the EAC and the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) provide opportunities for the riparian countries to reap greater benefits through harmonization of legislation and joint management and investment frameworks, compared to developing or (mis-) managing shared natural resources unilaterally which, ultimately, can lead to resource depletion/degradation and conflicts with both upstream and downstream riparian countries. The three Lake Victoria riparian countries serve as important ‘bridge countries,’ as they are downstream to DRC, Rwanda and Burundi, and upstream of Sudan and Egypt. With the inclusion of Burundi and Rwanda in the project, it will be possible to assess the root causes of the environmental problems in the Lake Basin. It will also be possible to create synergies between the NBI Kagera River Basin project and other relevant “upstream” projects (see Annex 1).


A best case scenario for the future is constructive cooperation and sustainable exploitation of the natural resources for mutual benefit of the EAC Partner countries and upstream and downstream riparians. A worst-case scenario would include conflict, border tensions, and unconstrained exploitation of resources by one or more countries, possibly leading to a collapse of the fisheries resources and environmental deterioration with associated negative economic and health impacts.


4. Project Components

Components of TDA and SAP processes will include:


5. The Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA)


The process of jointly developing a TDA is important for countries so that they enhance exchange of information and work together. National consultants are most often contracted and inter-ministerial committees are often established in each country (where already established committees do not exist) to provide that country’s input of factual information on the shared basin or marine ecosystem. From that, the transboundary nature, magnitude and significance of water quality, quantity, biological, habitat or other conflict, degradation or threat can be determined and countries can establish which are priorities for action compared with less significant ones and those of national concern. In addition, the root causes for the conflicts or degradation and relevant social issues are also included in the analysis so that actions to address them may be determined later. The science community and key stakeholders from each country will be expected to participate.


This process provides the opportunity for the Basin countries to understand the linkage among problems and root causes. As a result, more comprehensive solutions may be identified that may respond to many different conventions in a cost-effective manner. The TDA process allows complex transboundary situations to be broken up into smaller, manageable pieces for action as specific sub-areas of degradation or priority hotspots are geographically identified (with their specific problem and root cause) within the larger, complex system. Some of these may be deemed to be high priority, others may not. In this manner, different transboundary issues existing in different portions of the Lake Victoria basin can be broken down into manageable pieces for the diagnosis of root causes and the development of geographic-specific actions.


There have already been many resources spent on information and baseline data collection during the current LVEMP. But data collection has been intermittent because of funding and financial flow and disbursement issues. Both additional research and data collection is needed in order to identify at local, national, and regional levels, those issues that constrain biodiversity protection and environmentally and socially sustainable use of natural resources. Of particular concern is the equitable use of the shared aquatic resource of Lake Victoria. In addition to collection and regular sharing of data, a forum for all relevant stakeholders is needed to discuss the information describing the existing environment and threats to its sustainable use, and reach agreement on: (i) the nature and cause of identified problems in the basin; (ii) ranking the problems in order of perceived magnitude; (iii) identifying national issues that are seen as having a regional impact on the Lake; and (iv) transboundary issues affecting resource use and Lake health.


At a meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, January 21-23, 2004, representatives from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda agreed to address the following transboundary issues in the proposed TDA:


- Atmospheric deposition of phosphorus and its relative magnitude to other sources

  1. Fisheries biodiversity loss and over-fishing

  2. Water hyacinth (and other possible infestations of aquatic weeds)

  3. Blue green algae occurrence

  4. Persistent organic pollutants, toxic substances, mercury, etc.

  5. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

  6. Land use/sedimentation

  7. Climate change

  8. Hydraulic conditions/water circulation

  9. Diseases (human, animal and plant)

  10. Conflicts in resource use e.g.

    1. Cattle rustling

    2. Cross-border fishing conflicts

    3. Water use

    4. Wetlands degradation

    5. Forest destruction

    6. Wildlife

    7. Bush fires

These topics are expected to become chapters/sections in the TDA report.


The TDA preparation work will include:


  1. Review information available from LVEMP and other sources to establish nature of the problems, extent and geographical location;

  2. Review the causes of the problems;

  3. Assess extent to which the issues have been addressed over time and determine the gaps;

  4. Conduct National and Regional seminars;

  5. Propose a preliminary long-term intervention programme (research or management) based on the findings, which will then be elaborated into the SAP.


The Tasks will be carried out by five National consultants (one each for Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi) as well as a regional consultant, who will be responsible for the production of the integrated TDA report.


The Regional Policy and Steering Committee (consisting of Permanent Secretaries) and Committee of Lake Victoria Development Programme (CLVDP) both have endorsed this work.


6. The Strategic Action Program (SAP)


Once one or several top priority transboundary concerns are identified by countries in a TDA along with their root causes in sectoral activities in each country, countries would collaborate in determining what actions they will take to address those priority concerns and express them in a Strategic Action Program for the basin. As noted in the Operational Strategy, those actions consist of policy/legal/institutional reforms and investments on both the multi-country and national levels. They are developed by each country, often by consultants and with the support of relevant Inter-Ministerial Committees as well as with participation by stakeholders at the national and sub-national levels, and they are compiled and agreed at the multi-country level. In some cases, development of individual national action plans (NAP) that may accompany national economic development plans describe the commitments by individual collaborating countries that respond to the regional SAPs they have produced.


The SAPs serve to identify the country-driven reforms and investments countries pledge to seek in order to remedy damaged systems or to prevent further degradation. The stress reduction indicators then established will track whether implementation of the reforms and investments have proceeded expeditiously.


Components of the SAP


The SAP will be organized by priority transboundary concern and state what policy, legal, institutional reforms and investments each country will undertake and what ones are needed regionally (for example a legal regime like the Lake Tanganika or Danube Convention expressing commitments of each government). The SAP will specify what each country will do about the priority issues identified, e.g. by reducing phosphorus loading and BOD, etc. Spatial development planning may be indentified in the SAP as one option for addressing some concerns in the Lake Victoria Basin, but this should not be pre-supposed at this point in time. In parallel with the planned GEF work a study will be undertaken (financed by PHRD) to assess the potential of spatial planning for environmental management of the Lake Victoria watershed.


The Draft SAP will be reviewed in workshops as part of the stakeholder involvement plan. The Task of preparing the SAP will be carried out by a firm in collaboration with national staff. The requirement for involvement of national staff of all five countries will be specified in the TORs.


The SAP process will be a direct result of the TDA. The nature and magnitude of environmental and related social issues in the Lake Basin are large, and information is expected to increase over time. Therefore, the SAP prepared through this MSP would be a “baseline” that would need to be updated occasionally to determine both progress being made to address identified issues and to add/remove issues from those initially presented in the SAP. The SAP should be seen as a “living” document.


The regional workshop to discuss and agree on actions to address priority transboundary issues within the Lake Basin would be convened by the consultancy firm contracted for the SAP work. Its objective would be to identify the top 10-12 priority environmental issues with in the Basin and identify an action plan to scope the policy and institutional reform investment needed.


7. Project Outputs


The results of the TDA and SAP processes should help provide a consensus on transboundary issues and agreement on the way forward in areas where such agreement has not yet been achieved.


The TDA will produce a report as a result of stakeholder consultations, which should enable stakeholders to discuss and reach agreement on:



The final SAP for the Lake Victoria Basin will describe how the countries have agreed to proceed in dealing with transboundary issues in the basin. In particular, the SAP should contain agreement on the policy, legal, and institutional reforms as well as investments to be undertaken by each nation as well as regionally to address the transboundary priorities. The regional actions are to be undertaken within a multi-country institutional framework.


8. Implementation Arrangements


The Regional Executive Secretary of LVEMP (office in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania) will manage the implementation of TDA and SAP in consultation with the EAC Secretariat (Arusha, Tanzania) for coordination purposes.


8.1 Budget


The proposed TDA and SAP constitute the GEF alternative to the ongoing baseline work of the last stage of the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Program. The cost of the incremental financing needed for the GEF Alternative is anticipated at $1.0 million.


Budget Details for TDA Preparation (US$)



Details

BR

RW

TZ

KE

UG

Total

National Consultants

34,000

34,000

43,300

41,760

42,440

179,500

Training and Workshops at National lLevel

6,800

6,800

15,000

12,000

13,000

51,600

Goods

2,000

2,000

8,750

8,350

8,500

27,600

Operating Costs

8,000

8,000

21,250

19,000

19,750

68,000

Sub-total

50,800

50,800

103,300

96,110

98,680

399,700







Regional Operations Officer



15,000



15,000

Regional Consultant



85,300



85,300

Regional Workshop



45,000



45,000

Total






500,000


Budget Details for SAP (US$)



Details

BU

RW

TZ

KE

UG

TOTAL

Financial Audits

1,000

1,000

3,500

3,000

4,000

12,500

Performance Audits



6,500

7,000

6,000

19,500

Training and Workshops at National Level

12,000

12,000

28,490

24,048

24,862

101,400

Goods

2,000

2,000

8,750

8,350

8,500

29,600

Operating Costs

5,000

5,000

36,250

20,000

20,750

87,000

Sub-total

20,000

20,000

83,490

62,398

64,112

250,000

Regional Consultancy



185,000



185,000

Regional Operations Officer



15,000



15,000

Regional Workshop



50,000



50,000

Sub-total






250,000

Total






500,000


The following table summarized the total budget allocations for the TDA and SAP processes:



Category

TDA

SAP

Total

Consultancy, services, audit

290,400

232,000

522,400

Training and Workshops (national and regional)

96,600

151,400

248,000

Goods

27,000

29,600

56,600

Operating Costs

86,000

87,000

173,000

Total:

500,000

500,000

1,000,000



8.2 Procurement Plan


For the TDA and the SAP, the regional consultant (preferably a firm) will be procured through the Regional Secretariat of LVEMP to assist the countries and the EAC Secretariat to prepare the TDA and the SAP for the entire basin, working closely with the national interministerial committees. The role of the Regional Secretariat will include: procurement of the consultant and monitoring consultants’ work. The regional consultant/firm will be contracted to organize and manage the regional TDA and SAP workshops in coordination with EAC. The National Secretariats will be responsible for contracting national consultants and for assisting and monitoring the work of the regional consultant/firm in their respective countries. They will also participate in the evaluation process at the regional level.


The TORs for the Regional and National consultants will be prepared by the Regional and National Executive Secretaries in consultation with the EAC Secretariat.


8.3 Funds Management


The Regional Secretariat will manage the funds on behalf of the five countries. The Regional Secretariat will open a Special Bank Account for the GEF funds. Expenditure would be based on agreed activities at the regional and national level. Disbursement will be effected on the advice/request of the Secretariat concerned (or the GEF Focal Points in Rwanda and Burundi) and the Project Manager (Regional Executive Secretary).


8.4 Auditing


Expenditures of GEF funds will be audited by appointed auditor as required.






9. Sustainability Analysis and Risk Assessment

The TDA/SAP process will feed into the design of the management plans and any follow-on project in the Basin, in particular, the envisioned LVEMP2. The top priorities of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are poverty reduction and economic development. Environmental protection as a “stand-alone” activity may have limited support, but sustainable use of natural resources is part of growth and poverty reduction. Donors are currently willing to support an environmental conservation agenda in developing countries, which is related to or underpins growth and poverty reduction; therefore, significant donor support for Lake Victoria remains. The long-term risk to this GEF investment can therefore be viewed as small. To mitigate this risk, the preparation process for LVEMP2 will review options for making the institutional and policy reforms more sustainable including through fish levy trust funds.


The governments have decided to use this project as an instrument of cooperation and mutual understanding for the benefit of their natural ecosystems, the environment and sustainable development of all three countries. The LVEMP is testimony to this desire. Further, it is assumed that work already done in the LVEMP has led to the correct identification of some or many of the problems. In this regard, the TDA and SAP will be of significance, and may have to be updated occasionally to pave the way for long-term, sustainable management of the basin.


10. Stakeholder Involvement

Stakeholder participation has already played a significant role in the conceptual framework for the TDA and SAP processes. The proposal was developed through:



During both the TDA and SAP processes, series of consultations at both national and regional levels will be conducted, drawing in participants and stakeholders within the Lake Victoria Basin in each of the participating countries.


A stakeholder participation plan was discussed and agreed at the recent project preparation workshop (EAC Secretariat January 2004), Stakeholders in the Lake Basin will participate at two levels: the regional and the national in the five countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi). The participation strategy will be as much as possible “bottom up” and interactive.


For the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA), workshops at National level will be organized as follows:


  1. One scientific workshop in each country after a draft has been prepared by national consultants. This will involve scientists to discuss and agree on the analysis of trans-boundary issues identified by the consultants. About 30 scientists will be involved.


  1. One National workshop for NGOs, local governments, civil societies, etc. The aim of this workshop is to build consensus on trans-boundary issues (as reflected in a revised draft of the consultants). Participants are expected to be about 100.


  1. One national workshop for Members of Parliament (MP) who are members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee (again based on another revision of the draft national TDA). The purpose of this workshop is to achieve political support from the MPs.


At the regional level a TDA workshop will be organized (expected to be convened by the East African Community Secretariat, EAC-SEC, but organized and managed by the regional consultant/firm) to achieve consensus on regional issues identified and analysed by the National consultants and endorsed by the National Scientists, National MPs, and other stakeholders in the basin. This regional workshop will include about 50 eminent scientists from all five countries and perhaps some international ones. National consultants working on the TDA will be requested in their TORs to outline possible remedial actions (policy and institutional reforms, investments, etc.). After this workshop, a regional consultant will prepare a final draft of the TDA.


The same workshop will also discuss, in a preliminary/brainstorming manner, the tentatively suggested remedial actions that form the seed for the Strategic Action Plan (SAP). The consultant firm contracted for the SAP would prepare a preliminary draft SAP in part based on suggestions at the end of the TDA drafts. These preliminary ideas would then be used, along with the final draft TDAs, in workshops in selected communities and at selected workshops at sub-national and national levels (bottom-up process).


Once that process has been completed in the countries and a more solid draft SAP has been prepared, a second regional workshop (also expected to be convened by the EAC Secretariat, and organized and managed by the regional firm) will be held for the purpose of discussing and agreeing on the SAP. This workshop will involve the regional NGOs, development partners, EA legislative assembly, MPs, etc. including around 100 participants. A final draft SAP would be prepared after the workshop for endorsement by ministerial-level committees (CLVDP).


  1. Endorsement Process


Stakeholder participation is a key feature of the TDA/SAP process for the Lake Victoria Basin. The regional decision/endorsement framework established (see annex 1) ensures adequate participation of all key stakeholders. The East African Community has established a multi-sectoral Project Steering Committee (RPSC) at the level of Permanent Secretaries which guides the implementation of the project. Decision making is taking place at the level of the multi-sectoral Council for Lake Victoria Development Program (CLVDP) at the level of Ministers. Representatives from Burundi and Rwanda will be invited at the appropriate level to both the RPSC and the CLVDP Meetings.


The SAP will be endorsed by the Regional Policy Steering Committee (RPSC) and the Ministerial Committee on Lake Victoria Development Program (CLVDP) and with appropriate involvement of Rwanda and Burundi. The broader Nile Basin Initiative framework provides opportunities to share information and to coordinate a regional development approach that goes beyond the Lake Basin itself.



12. Incremental Cost Assessment


As described in the Project Description section above, the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Program, the baseline to the proposed project, is now in its last year of implementation, and many objectives have been achieved. The participating countries have obtained supplemental loans from the World Bank for the last eighteen months of implementation – through to December 2005 – the anticipated timeframe of the proposed project.


The proposed TDA/SAP processes are considered incremental to this on-going work, given that the countries would not otherwise engage in transboundary, participatory assessment and planning processes without this GEF grant. GEF grant funding will play an important role in demonstrating the appropriateness of the proposed approach to riparian governments, supporting them as they continue to cooperate on management initiatives for the Lake Basin.


The proposed project will help the riparian countries of the Lake Victoria Basin overcome regional barriers to working collaboratively and help them resolve priority transboundary environmental concerns identified in the TDA and SAP processes. The proposed project ensures coordination among implementing agencies, countries, and other actors, and generates programmatic benefits for the global environment that would not otherwise be achievable. This approach is fully in line with the GEF Operational Strategy for International Waters, as well as for the Waterbody Based Operational Programme (#8). Additionally, the project is fully consistent with the Strategic Priorities for the International Waters focal area, particularly priority 1 – catalyzing financial resources for implementation of reforms and stress reduction measures agreed through TDA-SAP processes.





Incremental Cost Matrix


Component

Cost

Local Benefits

Global Benefits

TDA




Baseline

3,000,000

  • National studies and assessments completed providing improved information for national decision making.

  • Regional Executive Secretariat established and operating, resulting in increased national and regional staff capacity for natural resource management.


  • Coordination among riparian countries established for discussion of lake basin management issues.

  • Biodiversity and genetic resources conserved for the benefit of the riparian communities and the global community through the coordinated management of natural resources by the Regaional Secretariat.

Alternative

3,500,000

Enhanced information available for resource managers to plan and utilize basin resources.

  • Information analysis and knowledge generation beneficial to the LVBC.

  • Ensured knowledge generated and lessons learned transferred to entire basin.

  • Improved cooperation among member states to diagnose and discuss riparian management issues.

Increment

500,000



SAP




Baseline

2,600,000

  • National planning for lake resource management.

  • Regional Executive Secretariat established and coordinating basin-wide activities.


Alternative

3,100,000

Harmonization of national natural resource management programs in order to achieve, to the maximum extent possible, the reversal of increasing environmental degradation.

  • Coordination of knowledge, development of basin-wide, regional plans for resource management.

  • Regional agreement reached on stress-reduction plans and actions needed, contributing to the effective management of a large, transboundary water body of global significance.

  • Participating countries all benefit from cooperative planning and resource management.

Increment

500,000



TOTAL:

5,600,000

Baseline



6,600,000

Alternative



1,000,000

Increment




13. Implementation plan

Month

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

Activity:
















TDA:

National Consultations

x

x

x

X













Regional Consultations





X












Final Report






x

X









SAP:

National Consultations








x

x

x

x

X





Regional Consultations













X




Final Report














x

X


Final SAP















X



14. Monitoring and Evaluation

During the preparation phase of the TDA and SAP only “process indicators” will need to be monitored. These simply include whether the TDA and SAP have been agreed and providing evidence of stakeholder involvement, functioning Inter-Ministerial Committees, and agreement on joint institutional frameworks to be pursued not only among the EAC countries but including Rwanda and Burundi.






Annex 1: Regional projects and coordination frameworks related to the Lake Victoria & Kagera River Basins


Regional Coordination

NILE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF WATER AFFAIRS (NILE-COM)

REPRESENTS ALL TEN NILE BASIN COUNTRIES




Sub-regional Coordination


NEL-COM

NEL-TAC reports

EAC / CLVDP



NILE-COM


Project Coordination

National mechanisms

RPSC

Regional Project Steering Committee

RPSC

Regional Project Steering Committee

with Rwanda and Burundi during TDA/SAP

RPSC

Regional Project Steering Committee

RPSC
Nile-TAC


Projects

National programs

In the Kagera River Basin Countries


Environment

Agriculture & irrigation

Water management

Water supply and sanitation

Tourism

Hydropower

NBI/NELSAP Kagera River Basin Management and Development Project





Economic Growth and Development Agenda


LVEMPII

TDA/SAP


Joint analysis of environmental problem and development of action plan


Environmental Management Agenda”

GEF/FAO PDF B


Preparation of regional agriculture project





“Agriculture, agenda”

Nile Basin Transboundary Environmental Project




Transboundary Environmental analysis & management”

Other Projects

Participating Countries

Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda

Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda


And


Kenya, Sudan, Egypt

Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda


And


Kenya, Sudan, Egypt

Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda

Burundi, DRC, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, (observer), Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda





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