‘Reversing the degradation of ecosystems and water in the Volta Basin “REWarD”. Project funded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The main organisational features of the proposed project are as follows:
- The ABV will chair the steering committee for this project. Other members will be UNEP, IUCN and the six basin countries.
- Activities that do not involve the procurement of services, such as stakeholder meetings, capacity building workshops, training activities, etc., will be carried out by the VBA.
- Activities envisaged that would involve procurement and would be executed mainly by local/regional institutions or consultants will be executed through GWP-WA on the basis of contractual arrangements with UNEP and IUCN, respectively.
- UNEP and IUCN will themselves implement a minor part of the activities (in particular component 4) through specialised technical assistance.
- Activities requiring complex international technical expertise (typically water modelling and related IT expertise) will be delivered through DHI.
The project is divided into four components:
Component 1 – Improving the knowledge base and developing management tools for informed decision-making
Component 1 responds to the need to establish and/or strengthen a body of specific knowledge and to build the capacity of stakeholders in terms of sustainable cross-border management. It brings together actions that contribute to increasing knowledge and scientific characterisation of the natural resources of the Volta basin with a view to better adaptation to climate change and sustainable management of the basin’s ecosystems. These actions will also enable the Volta Basin Authority to build its investment policy in the basin and to enable the cohesion and coordination of various development projects in the Volta basin.
The results for Component 1 are :
- Annual surface water resource models and decision support tools.
- Assessment of environmental capital, ecosystem services and functions and socio-anthropological impacts in the Volta basin.
- Assessment of shallow groundwater quality and measures to combat areas of pollution.
Component 2 – Strengthening cross-border planning, regional and national coordination and capacity, also during extreme events linked to climate change and variability
As indicated in the SAP, the increasing pressure exerted by some countries on the basin’s water resources, as well as on other natural resources, and the rise in the number of floods, have led the six riparian countries of the basin to realise that a more coordinated approach to the management of the basin’s resources is needed. The membership or involvement of the riparian countries in a number of regional organisations and/or international agreements relating to the protection of the environment in the Volta Basin has gradually led the six countries to recognise the need to strengthen regional collaboration. It is important that the proposed project links with all key regional cooperation platforms (e.g. African Water Facility for the European Union, etc.) to complement ongoing interventions with effective project support.
The results for Component 2 are :
- The establishment of a formal regional dialogue and national inter-sectoral / inter-ministerial coordination committees of water users
- A regional programme to combat invasive species in the Volta basin
- An early warning system(s) for droughts and floods based on local communities
Component 3 – Strengthening ecosystem resilience for sustainable livelihoods in the Volta Basin
Despite their importance, water resources and associated ecosystems in the majority of sub-basins are increasingly threatened by the growing pressures exerted by rapid population growth and the urbanisation process, as well as by the expansion of agricultural and industrial activities in fewer geographical areas. This has been particularly true in recent decades, when rainfall variability and deficits and the scarcity of surface water resources have accelerated, exacerbated by climate change. As a result of accelerating economic growth, many national water and environmental policies at basin level are showing their limitations in promoting equitable and sustainable use of resources. The Volta Basin is no exception, and this calls for urgent action to conserve and restore degraded ecosystems and strengthen their resilience, as well as the vulnerable population, mainly local communities, who depend on these ecosystems and the services they provide. In line with a number of current and recent interventions in the Volta Basin that directly address issues related to nature-based measures (riverbank protection, forest gallery restoration, etc.), for example the GEF SAP implementation project implemented by the World Bank, Component 3 addresses the second aspect, namely ecosystem resilience.
The results for Component 3 are:
- Measures relating to the sustainable use of water for agricultural production and livestock.
- The introduction of sustainable fisheries management practices
Component 4 – Knowledge management and sharing and effective Monitoring & Evaluation
This component combines a set of results that will increase knowledge and facilitate the exchange of information and best practice in the countries of the Volta Basin and beyond. It also ensures effective implementation of activities to achieve the articulated outcomes and impacts on the ground. Given the diversity of stakeholders, areas and levels of intervention, as well as the nature, thematic focus and target audiences, an effective project coordination, monitoring and evaluation plan and system are considered important for successful implementation.
The results for Component 4 are :
- A communication strategy for the implementation of the SAP
- Development of international water knowledge products using existing global information and knowledge sharing platforms, e.g. GEF IW:LEARN
- A project monitoring and evaluation plan and system
- Mid-term and final project evaluations