NEWS

The Ministry in charge of water resources in Cameroon organized a workshop in collaboration with UNICEF Cameroon to formally launch the process of elaborating a National Water Policy. The workshop was held in Yaoundé on 20 February, and brought together key stakeholders of the water sector in Cameroon.

In the framework of strengthening partnership, established since 2007, between GWP-CAf and the University of Dschang, oriented towards providing technical support in the delivery of IWRM related courses at the university, GWP-CAf Staff offered course on Water and Socio-Economic Development, at the School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources, Ebolowa Campus, from 27^th -29^th of May 2016.

 

Since 2014, on the invitation of the School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources, GWP-CAf have been facilitating the delivery of the course on Water and Socio-Economic Development (LPEE 233) for 1^st year students of the School at the University of Dschang satellite campus in Ebolowa, South Region in Cameroon.

 

The School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources is part of the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences of the University of Dschang.

GWP-CAf Staff made a four days working visit to the Executive Secretariat of Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), which took place from 22 to 25 of March 2016, in Ndjamena, Chad.

 

The main objective of this visit was to finalize the ToRs and tender document for the development of a project on the establishment of an Early Warning System. The visit ended with the approval of the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the project entitled “Strengthening Climate Information and Early Warning Systems (EWS) for Climate Resilient Development and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Lake Chad Basin area”. 

From the 4^th to the 8^th of December 2015, GWP-CAf had offered a course on the module entitled “Water and Socio-Economic Development” (LPEE 233) to 2^nd year students of the School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources of the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Dschang , the Ebolowa Branch in South Region of Cameroon.

This activity is related to GWP-CAf strategic goal n°2: “Generate and communicate knowledge” developed in the implementation of the collaborative partnership established since 2007 between Global Water Partnership Central Africa with the University of Dschang, and thus oriented towards providing technical support in the delivery of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) related courses.

Within 5 days, 65 out of 77 students attended the lectures which were organized and articulated on Definition of keys terms; introduction to IWRM, IWRM concept and principles, importance of monitoring water resources and river basins, Water and Environment, Economics and financing of water supply/virtual water concept as well as  the Concept and implementation of participation.

The workshop on the mobilization of Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) experts for reshaping hydrological norms was held in Douala, Cameroon from October 20th to 21st, 2015.

This workshop was implemented within the framework of the project known as RESIHYST Africa Project “Hydrological standards reviewing for resilient hydraulic infrastructure to climate change in Africa “. It was organized by UNESCO in collaboration with the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

This workshop brought together ECCAS’ experts in database management, GWP-CAf expert officials from ministries of water, transport, public works and focal points of International Hydrological programme (IHP) from Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe as well as representatives of universities and hydrological research center.

 

From 29^th to 30^th September, 2015 the meeting of the “Taskforce” for the development of central Africa regional hdyro-meteorological strategy was held in Douala, Cameroon. It was organized by the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in collaboration with GWP-CAf.

 

In addition to ECCAS and GWP-CAf’s experts, the meeting was attended by national experts in meteorology and hydrology from Cameroon, Congo, Chad, DR Congo, Gabon and Sao Tomé é Principe as well as representatives of UNESCO and Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).

 

The “Taskforce” meeting planned during a working visit conducted by GWP-CAf to Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in July 2015, enabled experts to better understand the regional hydrometeorological strategy elaboration process and approve the regional synthesis report of baseline studies for National Hydrological and Meteorological Services conducted in six (6) pilot countries in Central Africa. The road map for the development of regional hydro meteorological services strategy in Central Africa was also discussed and approved.

From the 7^th to 10^th September, 2015 was held in N’djamena, Chad a training workshop for staff and experts of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) on IWRM for transboundary water resources management.

 

Organized by the Department of Natural Resources Management of the LCBC in collaboration with GWP Central Africa (GWP CAf), the workshop brought together fifteen participants from the secretariat of the LCBC.

 

The objective was to strengthen their understanding of the IWRM concept and its principles, and also develop their capacity in using some specific IWRM planning tools with a special focus on development and management of transboundary water resources. It also aimed at ensuring a common understanding of the concepts, principles and planning process of IWRM among key staff of the LCBC secretariat.

Within the context of the partnership ECCAS-GWP signed in December 2013, a meeting held in Libreville, Gabon from 29^th to 31^st of July 2015 brought together the two parties.

The meeting aimed at assessing the progress made in the process of developing a regional strategy and action plan for hydrological and meteorological services in Central Africa on the one hand and take stock of the process of the creation and operationalization of the Regional Solidarity Fund for Water following the submission of the final document to ECCAS for validation on the other hand.