Press Releases
Tanzanian expert off to U.S. for ‘Nile Basin Initiative’
November 8, 2007
Five experts from countries that have a stake in Nile River basin management will convene in the United States under a specially designed study tour, ‘The Nile Basin Initiative,’ from November 12 through November 30. These experts have been invited to the U.S. under the auspices of the U.S. Government’s International Visitor Leadership Programme.
According to a U.S. Embassy statement, programme participants will hold discussions on integrated management of river basins, including trans-boundary rivers; explore methods of sustainable and equitable water resource utilization; observe mechanisms for the monitoring and gathering of data for rivers, lakes, and watersheds and meet with U.S. experts who specialize in efficient water management and the optimal use of water resources.
Tanzanian Frederick Mngube, Regional Coordinator, Mara BMBasin Management Initiative and fellow participants start their programme in Washington, DC, where they will see how the U.S. federal government participates in water resource management. Their next stop is Portland, Oregon - to get acquainted on water resources management of the Columbia River Basin and the role played by non-governmental organizations.
After Portland they are scheduled to visit Phoenix, Arizona. Here they will study thesustainability of, and integrated water management in, the Lower Colorado River Basin. Proceeding to Albuquerque, New Mexico, participants will explore trans-boundary issues and water rightsin the San Juan-Chama/Rio Grande region. Their last stop is Orlando, Florida, where they will study environmental issues in the reclamation and reuse of waste water.
Other participants accompanying Mngube are from Kenya:: Gladys Wekesa, Superintending Geologist, Ministry of Water and Irrigation;and from Ethiopia: Tesfaye Gebeyehu, Senior Hydrologist, BBoundary and Trans-boundary Rivers Affairs Department, Ministry of Water Resources. Two other participants come from Egypt, Rasha Ali, Water resource Engineer, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, and Loay Sayed, Technical Office, Ministry of Water Resources & Irrigation, Nile Water Sector.
The Mara-Serengeti ecosystem is one of Earth’s biodiversity treasures, whose survival is dependent upon trans-national management of critical natural resources. The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Tanzania, is working with other donors to support implementation of sustainable development including integrated water resources management for poverty reduction in riparian states around Lake Victoria. Mr. Mngube’s participation in the program will provide critical learning in the application of river basin management science and integrated water resources management principles.
Mr. Mngube remarked that he is very much looking forward to undertaking the study tour with his regional partners. Together, they will explore ways to improve water resource management to reduce and mitigate threats to biodiversity in the entire Lake Victoria Basin.
This International Visitor Leadership Programme is run by the U.S. State Department on behalf of the American people. It is intended to facilitate personal and professional contacts between the people of the United States and Tanzania. It is part of overall U.S. Government direct and multilateral assistance to Tanzania of more than half a billion U.S. Dollars (over 625 billion Tanzanian shillings) in fiscal year 2007.