Partnerships Are Key to Building a Shared Vision

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” 

This is a well-known African proverb which illustrates that partnership and cooperation is key for progress, this is even more so in the water sector where the available resources are shared between countries, different users at national and local levels. However, this all starts with developing  a shared vision and a roadmap, guiding stakeholders to achieving common goals.  September 2020 will  mark 25 years of  the existence of the Commission since the signing of the OKACOM Agreement in  1994 and  as we commemorate our 25th Anniversary we are reminded that the journey has been long, but it has not been lonely.

A shared vision for the Cubango-Okavango River Basin (CORB) has been at the core of OKACOM’s advocacy efforts since its establishment by the member states of Angola, Botswana and Namibia. It is with this vision in mind that we also take the opportunity to reflect on the valuable  partnership which were formed along this journey. The shared vision is one where the Basin is developed into an “economically prosperous, socially just, and environmentally healthy” thus it thrives on environmental sustainability and the improvement of the welfare and living conditions of the communities which depend on the Basin for their livelihoods. Ideally the spin offs of a thriving Basin will lead to increased economic growth, illustrating that through the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) the vision is indeed attainable.

The acknowledgement of the valuable contributions of the  three member states, through their respective Ministers responsible for water  resource management and their staff,  OKACOM Commissioners, members of the Okavango Basin Steering Committee, International Cooperating Partners (ICPs), researchers, NGOs and private sector is of great importance.This is in light of the fact that the Commission has evolved and grown from strength to strength in it's  core mandate of  advising the three member states on the best possible use of the natural resources in the CORB. From its humble beginnings as a  purely water conservation-based organisation, OKACOM has grown into a  tripartite organisation which coordinates and facilitates sustainable resource utilization of the CORB based on the development needs and priorities of the various stakeholders. Through established platforms and relevant linkages and using current data, OKACOM works with partners to implement coordinated interventions which all aim to working towards a prosperous future. 

With a fully-fledged Secretariat comprising of administration, finance and technical experts, OKASEC looks forward to the remaining part of the year, knowing that we have the support of partners and stakeholders, who share one vision for a prosperous future for the CORB. We are very cognisant of the current global health crisis brought about by the outbreak of COVID–19 which has affected our operations, however we have joined the global, regional and country efforts to work towards ensuring that our staff remain safe and our activities are minimally affected. The Secretariat is leveraging  technology which allows for cyber offices and  remote working to be possible,  thus we remain committed to ensuring that key meetings and consultations continue to take place. 

Contributed by
Phera Ramoeli, Executive Secretary, OKACOM Secretariat