The Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) is an investment program under the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) that 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. In response to this mandate, the countries of the NELSAP have identified a number of projects to: “Promote poverty alleviation, stimulate economic growth, and reverse environmental degradation in the Sub-basin”.
The Nile Equatorial Lakes region includes the six countries in the southern portion of the Nile Basin—Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda—as well as the downstream riparians Egypt and Sudan
A coordination unit has been established for NELSAP (NEL-CU), located in Kigali. There is also a Council of Ministers (NEL-COM) and a Technical Advisory Committee (NEL-TAC) which oversees the work in the NELSAP region and gives strategic guidance to the NELSAP.
The NELSAP-CU facilitates the preparation process, coordinates, manages financial resources and builds sub-regional capacity for continued preparation and implementation of the NELSAP program of transboundary investment activities. At its inception, NELSAP started the preparation of a set of twelve projects grouped into two major areas of interest, the Power Trade and Development and the Natural Resources Management and Development. The projects were identified through a highly participatory and consultative process that included all relevant stakeholders from eight Nile Equatorial Lakes countries. The Natural Resources Management and Development projects include: the Lakes Edward and Albert Fisheries Pilot Project, three Integrated River Basin Management Projects (Mara, Sio-Malaba-Malakisi and Kagera), the Water Hyacinth and Weed Control Project through LVEMP II and the Regional Agricultural Trade and Productivity Project. The Power Trade and Development program include: the Regional Interconnections Project, the Strategic Sectoral, Social and Environmental Assessment of Power Options and Regional Rusumo Falls Hydropower and Multipurpose Project. All these SAP projects in NELSAP offer an opportunity for a communications component to reach out to the target beneficiaries.
NELSAP Projects
Kagera Transboundary Integrated Water Resource Management Project
Kenya-Tanzania Power Interconnection
Lake Edward and Lake Albert Fishery Project
Sio-Malaba-Malaksi River (TIWRM)
Mara River TIWRM
Regional Agriculture Trade & Productivity
Rusomo Falls Hydroelectric and Multipurpose
Bugesera Transboundary WRD Program
Tanzania Irrigation Watershed Project
Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (II)
The NEL-Water Resources Development Project
Iringa Mbeya Power Transmission Line
Interconnection of Electricity Networks of Nile Equatorial Lake Countries.