NESDA's MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - ISSUE #28 - APRIL '96.
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This electronic newsletter is a publication of the Network for
Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa (NESDA).
Contributions, suggestions, comments and articles should be
addressed to Abou Bamba, Editor, NESDA, BP 95, Guichet Annexe
BAD, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, tel: 225. 20 52 23, fax: 225. 20
59 22, email: bambaa@nesda.org
Material contained in this newsletter may be freely reproduced
provided that acknowledgement of the source is made.
Subjects of special interest to our readers, information
ongoing and upcoming events and conferences on ESD in SSA,
letters to the editor or any other contributions are welcomed.
This newsletter is also available in French.
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IN THIS ISSUE +
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* NESDA's SERVICES TO CLIENTS.
A. UNDP/CAPACITY21 PROJECT IN GAMBIA
B. ERITREA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
C. SWAZILAND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN
* NESDA AND CNTIG SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
* CREATION OF NATIONAL/SUB-REGIONAL CHAPTERS OF NESDA
* THE AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (AfDB) PRODUCES GUIDELINES AND
ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL POLICY WORKING PAPERS.
* NESDA MISSION TO WARDA
* THE WORLD BANK ORGANIZES AN ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS TRAINING
WORKSHOP FOR AFRICAN TRAINERS
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@HEADLINE = NESDA's SERVICES TO CLIENTS.
1. UNDP/CAPACITY21 PROJECT IN GAMBIA
A NESDA mission went to the Gambia from April 13-21, 1996, on
behalf of UNDP/Capacity 21 Program to participate in a planned
tripartite meeting and to monitor the progress of the ongoing
Capacity 21 project located in the Gambia.
In collaboration with the UNDP Country Office in The Gambia,
the NESDA consultant undertook he following activities, among
others:
* Monitored current project activities and determined their
status with respect to their objectives.
* Developed a monitoring and reporting strategy with necessary
tools and a workplan for implementation.
* Prepared an updated monitoring report on the current status
of the Capacity 21 programme.
* Identified constraints encountered during the project
implementation and to made specific recommendations for follow-
up at the field and headquarters levels (The Gambia country
office, Government counterparts and Capacity 21).
For more details on this mission, contact:
Magetane Khalikane
Technical Advisor, NESDA
Email: khalikm@nesda.org
2. ERITREA NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
A NESDA Staff member went on mission to Eritrea from April 30
to May 8, 1996, to assist to facilitate the further
development of the Eritrean proposal to implement the National
Strategy for sustainable development created through the
National Environmental Management Plan Process. The TORs of
the mission were:
* to review with UNDP Country Office and the Coordinator
of the Eritrean Agency for the Environment the current
proposal for Capacity 21.
* to meet with the government officials and other
appropriate stakeholders in order to suggest ways to
support elements listed for implementation under the
three dimensions of critical capacity of the current
Capacity 21 proposal. Some examples stated in the
proposal are; capacity to mobilize public perception
towards accepting sustainable development, (e.g.,
improving civic responsibility in caring for the
environment and ensuring sustainability); capacity to
involve major groups, grassroots organizations, womens'
groups; capacity for training youth and increasing public
awareness and skill in decision making, and effective
means seeking consensus on development issues.
* Assist in the development of a consultation process for
final development of a Capacity 21 programme.
For more details, contact:
Magetane Khalikane
Technical Advisor, NESDA
Email: khalikm@nesda.org
3. SWAZILAND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN
A member of NESDA Board Directors, Ms. Ndey-Isatou, , went on
mission to Swaziland from the 11th of March to the 6th of
April 1996, to assist the Swaziland Environment Authority
(SEA) with the development of the Swaziland Environment Action
Plan (SEAP) preparatory process. The mission was sponsored by
the UNDP/Capacity 21 Programme.
The preparation of the Swaziland Environment Action Plan
started early this year. The preparatory process is designed
to be consultative and participatory, with focus on group
meetings, regional workshops, national workshops and working
groups consultations. This process is in two phases, an
initial round of consultations to introduce the process,
discuss problems and solutions, and the second round to build
consensus. The process was designed by the SEA with assistance
from local consultants.
Ms Njie of NESDA attended the first national consultative
Workshop which was held on 11th and 12th of March 1996 and
served as a resource person, sharing her experience from the
Gambia Environmental Action Plan (GEAP) process
Ms Njie then assisted the SEA in further elaborating on some
aspects of the SEAP process especially the working groups to
be created and their terms of reference. Futhermore, Ms Njie
reviewed the Swaziland Capacity 21 project document and made
recommendations for amendments in the workshop and terms of
reference of the local consultants.
The working groups are now operational and the process is
progressing satisfactorily. It is envisaged that the SEAP will
be completed by the end of the year.
For more info, contatct:
Ms. Ndey-Isatou Njie.
5 Fitzgerald St - BP 48 Banjul
The Gambia.
@HEADLINE = THE WORLD BANK ORGANIZES AN ENVIRONMENTAL
ECONOMICS TRAINING WORKSHOP FOR AFRICAN TRAINERS
The Economics Development Institute (EDI) of the World Bank,
the Francophone African Environmental Economists Network, with
the support of the European Community Commission, the
Netherlands government and the Agence de Cooperation
Culturelle et Technique will organize a training workshop on
environmental economics for trainers from 15-31 May, 1996, .
This workshop will be held in Washington D.C., and the working
languages will be French and English.
The workshop targets trainers in Universities, public training
centers, NGOs and private firms and will focus on the
important links which exist between macro-economics, sectoral
and environmental issues, and take into account EIAs in the
economic analysis of projects.
The workshop will underline the macro/micro economic
(policies/projects) dimension of environmental economics.
There themes of the workshop will be, among others, the
following:
. addressing the problems in a sustainable development
perspective
. defining the setting up of priorities in the NEAPs helping
decision-makers, the markets and institutions
. integrating EIAs in the initial phase of the projects cycle
. presenting EIAs
. evaluating the inputs and outputs identified in the EIA but
which has not been put a figure on
. presenting additional (non-economic) information
. etc...
This training is expected to allow the participants to acquire
new skills which would enable them to train others.
NESDA will attend the workshop. FLASH will report on its
outcomes on coming issues.
Contact:
Abou Bamba
Advisor, NESDA
email:bambaa@nesda.org
@HEADLINE= NESDA AND CNTIG SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
After a preparatory work performed by both NESDA and CNTIG
staff, the two institutions signed a Memorandum Of
Understanding (MOU) on April 26, 1996.
The MOU focuses on the following: (a) information exchange,
(b) public awareness and training in EI to take intelligent
decision to manage environment and natural resources, and (c)
the creation of a national data base on environment...The MOU
makes provision for an extension to any other subject area of
interest to the two parties.
@HEADLINE = CREATION OF NATIONAL/SUB-REGIONAL CHAPTERS OF
NESDA
The Secretariat of the Network for Environment and Sustainable
Development in Africa (NESDA) has proposed the establishment
of its Chapters at national and sub-regional levels. In this
context and based on broad ecological regional divisions and
associated common environmental issues in Africa, the
Secretariat has identified six broad geographical sub-region
as follows:
- Sahel West Africa
- Congo basin
- Equatorial West Africa
- Lake Victoria Basin/Eastern Africa
- The Horn of Africa
- Southern Africa and the Islands
These are division of convenience and may be redefined.
It must be noted that each of these geographical sub-divisions
contains a number of countries with one or more active and
certainly a large number of potential members of NESDA. The
NESDA Secretariat proposal is to bring these members together
at the national level and subsequently organize the countries
into sub-regional chapters without splitting the rank of
NESDA. Creation of chapters will facilitate collaboration in
areas of common concern and enhance information dessemination
within the Network.
The Secretariat has therefore prepared and distributed
guidelines for the establishment of chapters for the benefit
of members who have indicated their willingness to convene
national chapters.
The proposal has received spontaneous and positive support
from the following countries: Benin, Bostwana, Congo, Guinea,
Ghana, Mali, Malawi, Uganda, Niger, Senegal, Kenya, Mali,
Zaire etc....
The Secretariat has also made modest budgetary allocations
towards the activities of the prospective national chapters.
FLASH will report on the organization and composition of these
chapters in the coming issues
@HEADLINE = THE AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (AfDB) PRODUCES
GUIDELINES AND ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL POLICY WORKING PAPERS.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has produced guidelines
and environment and social policy documents.
The documents were produced by the former Environment and
Social Policy Division of ADB, and include the following:
a. Environmental Sectoral Guidelines
i. Environmental Assessment Guidelines for Mining
Projects; [ English and French].
ii. Environmental Assessment Guidelines on Involuntary
Displacement and Resettlement in Development Projects [
English and French].
b. Environment and Social Policy Working Papers Series (ESP),
documents:
# 12 Agricultural Sector Adjustment
Programs in Africa and The Environment
# 13 An Examination of the Grameen
Bank Model and its Replication in
Burkina Faso
# 14 The Nature and Magnitude of Poverty
in South Africa
# 15 The Human Face of the African
Environment [ English and French].
# 16 Country Environmental Profile -
Cameroon
# 17 Country Environmental Profile -
Sierra Leone
# 18 Country Environmental Profile - Ghana
# 19 Country Environmental Profile -
Bostwana
# 20 Country Environmental Profile -
Namibia
# 21 Country Environmental Profile -
Mozambique
The main objective of the ESP is to promote systematic
exchange of information that is critical to policy dialogue on
the contemporary issues of poverty reduction and ecological
harmony in Africa.
The NESDA Secretariat has copies of all these documents at the
disposal of members for consultation.
For more info, contact:
African Development Bank
FPOP
BP 1387 Abidjan 01
Cote d'Ivoire
@HEADLINE = NESDA MISSION TO WARDA
A two-person NESDA mission went to WARDA's headquarters, M'Be
- Bouake, Cote d'Ivoire from 24-25 April 1996. The objective
of the mission was to meet with the Director General of WARDA
to explore potential areas of collaboration between the two
institutions and, above all to discuss the participation of
the two organizations in the USAID/Africalink project.
The West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA) is an
intergovermental research association with a mandate to
conduct rice research, training, and communications activities
for the benefit of the West African region. Formed in 1971 by
11 countries, with the assistance of UNDP, FAO and ECA, WARDA
now consists of 17 member countries. The association is a
member of the network of 16 international agricultural
research centers supported by funds from donors of CGIAR.
The NESDA delegation was briefed on the following:
- WARDA's background and current activities
- the new WARDA management system and structure which involves
many profound changes .
- the new members of the WARDA scientific team which has been
completely changed since the new management took over in 1988.
An overview of their current research activities was also
presented. One of the activities which is of interest to NESDA
is an environmentally sustainable agriculture project which
involves a consortium of national and international
institutions in Mali, Cote d'Ivoire and Europe, working
together to reduce the malaria and schistosomias risks
associated with lowland rice cultivation.
Different members of the scientific team later received the
NESDA delegation. They described many aspects of the continuum
program of WARDA which addresses the rainfed lowland,
seasonally hydromorphic, and free-draining uplands ecosystems
through one combined research effort which encompasses about
82% of reicelands and 75% of rice production in West Africa.
According to them, some results have been achieved, but the
transfer of these results to the end users remains complicated
since the partners institutions of WARDA are usually the
government institutions whose outreach programs are determined
by national priorities.
On the USAID/Africalink the NESDA mission was informed that
the funding for the connection of NESDA members and the
members of other networks is now in place. It was mentioned
that NESDA was one of the programmatic networks selected by
USAID to benefit from these funds. Some guidelines have been
put in place to administer the funds. Copy of these guidelines
will be sent to NESDA.
NESDA Secretariat is currently discussing areas of possible
collaboration with WARDA.
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