Kampala, January 15, 2015: IGAD Inland Water Resources Management Programme (INWRMP) and the School of Law of Makerere University (Kampala, Uganda) today closed a three-day workshop on International Water Law meant for IGAD Member States officials active in water management within concerned ministries in their home countries.
Dr Emmanuel Kasimbazi, Course Coordinator and Chair of the Environmental Law Centre/School of Law/Makerere University, presided over the handing over of certificates ceremony in the premises of the School of Law this morning. On day one of the training where a brief opening ceremony was held, Dr Kasimbazi, on behalf of the Dean of the School of Law, Dr Damalie Naggita Musoke, had expressed her pleasure to have IGAD as a partner to facilitate the training course which was aimed “at providing officials from IGAD member states with exposure to topics of international water law relevant within IGAD regional context, so as to enhance their capacity to handle water resources management issues and negotiate solutions”.
In her opening remarks during the opening ceremony of January 13th, Dr Marcella Nanni, IGAD INWRMP Technical Assistant, did highlight that the main objective of the workshop was to help member states build capacity in trans boundary water management. “This Second Course on International Water Law will focus on best practices at shared river basins water management around the globe, and then zero in on regional initiatives within the African continent. We’ll also look into implementation issues,” she had said.
At the end of the course, Mr Imeru Temrat, lead guest lecturer told the group how much he enjoyed working with them. “The group was perceptive, and we could see, from the scenario cases we worked on, that they grasped most of everything we did. They also made recommendations on areas of the training that needed improvements”, he said.
For her part, Ms Faith Tabu Pesa, Legal Officer-Ministry of Environment, Water, and Natural Resources-Kenya found that the training well organized, educative, and that there were experiences and lessons learned through sharing of ideas by various government representatives from IGAD Member States. “However, the presenters only gave examples of the hosting state. In future, more time needs to be allocated in areas of negotiations and a field visit will help us to get the feel of the practical situations on the ground” she added.
