World Bank mission commends NBI’s “good work”, discusses sustainability of NCCR project results

The 9th implementation support mission (ISM) for the Nile Cooperation for Climate Resilience (NCCR) project funded by the World Bank/Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (CIWA) is underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 

The joint review mission is executed by a World Bank team and the project implementing agencies, namely, the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) Secretariat and its two investment agencies which are the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO) and the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Programme Coordination Unit (NELSAP-CU) ; the Nile Basin Discourse (NBD) ; and the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), an institution under  the East African Community. 

The main objective of this mission is to review progress since the 8th ISM, which took place in October 2024 in Uganda and plan for the completion of the remaining activities. The mission will also provide support and oversight to ensure successful completion of the project, which has been running since 2021 and will close in November 2025. 

A key issue unique to this ISM is that the agencies and the Bank will discuss how results of the project will be sustained to ensure lasting benefits for Member States of the Nile Basin Initiative and the Lake Victoria Basin Commission.
 

“Many good outputs are emerging from the project, and it is very important that these outputs are utilized for the period and audience they are intended for,” said Dr. Shyam KC, the Bank’s task team leader. 
Dr Shyam urged staff of the implementing agencies to continue with their “good work”, adding that the Bank was already envisioning a successfully completed NCCR project. 

The Bank also commended the implementing agencies for cooperating with it and among themselves and urged the implementing agencies to document real-life stories on the ground to better illustrate the impact and benefit of their work, which has been delivered on behalf of Member States of the Nile Basin Initiative and the Lake Victoria Basin Commission.
 

In her opening remarks the NBI Executive Director Dr. Florence Grace Adongo, thanked the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for hosting the mission, and the World Bank team for its unwavering commitment that has been a driving force in strengthening Nile cooperation. 
She commended the Bank for enhancing critical programmatic work aligned with NBI’s on-going 10-year strategy.  In addition, she said the results achieved under the NCCR project should not only be preserved but be built upon progressively to address the growing challenges facing the Basin, including impacts of climate change, high population growth versus dwindling water per capita, pollution, environmental degradation, geo-political dynamics and socio-economic disparities.
 

“The Nile offers enormous opportunities for shared growth through joint planning, optimizing and pooling resources together for investments leading to win-win socio-economic benefits,” Dr Florence said. 

A member of the Nile Technical Advisory Committee, Eng. Belyou Tekola, officially opened the meeting, welcoming participants to Ethiopia and recognizing the World Bank’s role in regional cooperation.
 

Funded through the World Bank’s Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (CIWA), the NCCR project is designed to enhance Nile cooperation and climate resilience through five thematic areas implemented by NBI Secretariat, NELSAP-CU, ENTRO, LVBC and NBD: 

• Platform for Cooperation
• Water Quality Investment Preparation
• Dam Safety
• Flood and Drought Management
• Innovative Information Services