Kampala, UGANDA: 02-03-2013: IGAD Inland Water Resources Management Program (INWRMP) this morning opened a two-day workshop on regional water resources policy in Kampala under the leadership of Mrs. Semunesh Golla, INWRMP Focal Point for Ethiopia, Dr. Callist Tindimugaya, Commissioner for Water Resources Planning and Regulation at the Ministry of Water and Environment of Uganda and also member of the INWRMP Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and Mr. Mohamed Moussa, Director of IGAD Agriculture and Environment Division, sitting for the Executive Secretary of IGAD.
Delegations from member states each comprised of an INWRMP Focal Point, a member of the INWRMP Technical Advisory Committee, an expert in water policy, and country level officials in charge of water resources management directorate are participating in this workshop funded by the European Union and whose main objective is to fine tune the IGAD Regional Water Resources Policy draft working document.
During the opening ceremony, the representative of the host country, Dr. Callist Tindimugaya, welcomed the participants to Uganda and to the workshop. He also congratulated IGAD and its INWRM Program for putting together this workshop to follow-on the first workshop held in Mombasa, Kenya in October 2013 that then focused on enhancing collaboration between national water management authorities and institutions in the IGAD region.
Chairperson Semunesh Golla in her opening remarks expressed “conviction that this two-day meeting will allow us to improve the first draft of the IGAD Regional Water Resources Policy working document that resulted from our first meeting in Mombasa”. “This second meeting has been organized in a very timely manner so momentum is kept, and the merit goes to the organizers, i.e. IGAD Agriculture and Environment Division and its INWRM Program, to the government of Uganda and its concerned authorities for hosting us, and to you participants here for your time and contribution to this workshop”.
Mr. Mohamed Moussa reminded the audience that “water is a central element to any socio-economic development, knowing that 70% of the IGAD region is arid or semi-arid”. The workshop was then declared open after the agenda has been validated by the Chairperson with help from the participants and facilitation from Mr. Daher Elmi, Natural Resources Management Program Manager, and Ms. Marcella Nanni, INWRMP Technical Assistant.
