The Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program
The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) was launched in 1999 in order to ensure sustainable socioeconomic development for all the Nile riparian countries. The NBI establishes a consensual framework aiming at combating poverty and promoting socioeconomic development in the ten Nile riparian countries. As part of this initiative, a strategic action plan has been developed in order to translate the vision of sharing and using water resources equitably into meaningful activities and projects. The strategic action plan is divided into two main components – the programs affecting the entire Nile basin and the subsidiary action programs on sub-basins within the Nile basin. The Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) aims at implementing actions or joint projects in order to reduce poverty, promote economic development and reduce environmental degradation.
NELSAP launched a comprehensive investment program aimed at increasing the supply of electricity and at finding more effective ways of sharing energy resources among countries. The NELSAP countries include: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. NELSAP promotes investments in power development, power transmission interconnection and power trade, water resources management, management of lakes and fisheries, agricultural development, and control of water hyacinth. The long-term objectives of the NELSAP's energy development and exchange sub-program are as follows:
• Promoting regional economic development and improving quality of life through a largely sufficient and reasonably priced electricity supply;
• Increasing electricity supply in the Nile Equatorial Lakes region by improving import and export capacity between member countries;
• Improving the reliability of electricity supply and the quality of electricity transported through the interconnection of isolated networks in each country. The immediate objectives of the sub-program are to increase the supply of electric power networks in the region and to guide policy makers in the development process, which would achieve the long-term objectives in the most efficient, economical and environmentally friendly way.
Under the Regional Rusumo Hydroelectric Project, NELSAP has been delegated by Rusumo Power Company Limited (RPCL) to perform a number of roles and responsibilities on its behalf including: Offer Financial Management Services for the Project, Offer Procurement Services for the Project, Project Planning and Management services, Project Implementation services, Strategic and Governance services.
Upon Project closure, NELSAP will offer the following services: Once the construction of the power plant facility is complete, NELSAP will make final hand over reports to RPCL; and Upon Commercial Operations Date, hand over the Project to the RPCL.
For more details about NELSAP, its mandate and projects under implementation, follow the link to the website: http://nelsap.nilebasin.org