The National University of Lesotho (NUL) has formed a strategic partnership with German development agency GIZ and the ICM Coordination Unit, aiming to strengthen education, science and research.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in September 2021 will guide collaboration with the university’s institutes to support integrated catchment management (ICM) in the Kingdom.
Implementation of ICM requires a well trained and experienced workforce to deliver socio-economic development and adapt to climate change. The ReNOKA partnership will establish an interdisciplinary Master’s programme on integrated water resource management, including undergraduate teaching, scholarships, and internships where students can engage with integrated catchment management in the field.
It gives Lesotho’s future professionals and decision makers the tools to deal with environmental and socio-economic challenges. On-the-job training and professional short courses will enhance skills and knowledge of current ICM practitioners.
The partnership will explore opportunities for innovation and applied science in catchment management, including for example the commercial use of data, to e.g. provide business development. The data and a ReNOKA research series on sustainable land and water resources management will improve national monitoring of ICM in Lesotho and high-level decision making.
ReNOKA is an initiative of the Government of Lesotho, in partnership with civil society and private sector organisation as well as regional organisations such as the Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). ReNOKA will build a capable framework to restore, protect and manage the land and water resources in the Orange-Senqu River Basin, starting in Lesotho.
Support for ReNOKA is provided through a partnership between the Government of Lesotho, the European Union (EU) Delegation to the Kingdom of Lesotho and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The EU and BMZ contributions are implemented through a technical assistance project “Support to Integrated Catchment Management in Lesotho” by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Under ReNOKA, participating institutions will work together to bring about better policies and laws, capacitate government departments for effective regulation, and train land and water users and relevant professionals. Local communities will also benefit from practical conservation work and training to restore and manage catchment-related ecosystems. In order for ReNOKA to succeed in building a resilient river basin capable of serving future generations, multiple steps must be taken to address social, political, economic and environmental challenges together.
Together, these steps provide a holistic approach to strengthening the Orange-Senqu River Basin that will deliver improved economic opportunities for the Basotho people and a more resilient river basin that can cope with the negative impacts of climate change.
