MINIRENA: Creating awareness on NELSAP program

{The dissemination workshop organized by MINIRENA in collaboration with the Nile basin initiative(NBI) kicked off today on 13th December at Milles Collines Hotel Kigali.}

Participants in this workshop include policy makers from different sectors namely agriculture, water, irrigation, environment, Energy, lands, Finance, Economic planning, and Foreign Affairs, County Government/Local and regional Administration, Social/community and others.

According to the permanent secretary at the ministry of natural resources the key objective of the dissemination exercise in Rwanda is to create awareness of the NELSAP program

Some of other objectives of this workshop is to help identify specific projects that can be considered for country programming within the country expenditure frameworks. .

Hon Caroline Kayonga added that Out-comes that have been produced so far, to enhance collaboration between the Nile basin initiative/NELSAP countries and stakeholders including regional agencies and development partners. However, other expected outcomes from this workshop will include:

· Improved corporate image of the NELSAP in the countries,

· Enhanced knowledge of the value of the NELSAP program to the countries

· Improved understanding of the niche that NELSAP has in regional water resources programming

· Strengthened collaboration between NELSAP and relevant stakeholders.

The project area that is expected to be covered will include Akanyaru marshland, the lakes Cyohoha and Rweru and there watersheds, located respectively in the akanyaru sub-basin and the downstream Nyabarongo sub-basin, both being part of the akagera sub basin shared by Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania.

Akagera Marshland is a vast drowned valley which forms a natural border between Rwanda and Burundi.

It also covers a range from 200 to 3,000m wide and 70 square kilometers long, while its surface area is estimated to be 200 square kilometers.

Lake Rweru and Cyohoha are located at the border between Rwanda and Burundi, and they cover over 80 square kilometers and 60 square kilometers respectively.

These lakes are fed by groundwater from the river Nyabarongo and constitute freshwater reserves which are easily accessible to the local population and offer great potential for fish and aquaculture development.