LVRLAC in the Lake Victoria Basin

The vastness of the Lake Victoria Basin, its natural endowments and economic importance to the East African Community partner states has raised the level of attention on the management of this shared natural resource. Furthermore, given the basin’s strategic importance, sustained efforts have been directed towards developing harmonized framework for the sustainable management of Lake Victoria. Amongst the EAC partners states, this has progressed from the Protocol for Sustainable Development of Lake Victoria Basin (2003); the Shared Vision and Strategy Framework for Management and Development of Lake Victoria Basin (2004); to the establishment of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) which is mandated to promote, facilitate and co-ordinate the activities of different actors in the basin.

LVRLAC is one amongst a host of non-state actors with a specific niche as a channel to engage Local Authorities and communities in environmental protection, poverty reduction and sustainable development. LVRLAC provides a platform to collectively engage Local Authorities and communities in contributing towards the sustainable development agenda using its strategic position as a network of Local Authorities to reach out to a wide grassroots base and build vital networks at various levels. The network affairs are coordinated by a Regional Secretariat established in Entebbe, Uganda and Country level sub-secretariats in Kampala (Uganda), Kisumu (Kenya) and Mwanza (Tanzania) respectively.

Progressive Growth

Since its founding in 1997, LVRLAC has enhanced her network competences in facilitating and building the capacity of LAs for improved service delivery, promoting learning and knowledge management for best practice replication and scaling-up, and network and partnership building for resource leveraging and policy advocacy.

Prior to the popular endorsement of the shared vision (1997-2004), most of LVRLAC’s efforts were invested in building a wide membership base, establishing and strengthening the nascent organizational structures, and building strategic partnerships. One of the most significant achievements of this period was the establishment of a cooperative framework with the Union of Baltic Cities (UBC) in 2000. Through this partnership and with support from Sida, LVRLAC was able to build the capacity of officials from the member Local Authorities in governance and project management as well as improve the information, communication and networking capacity in a number of member Local Authorities. During this period, LVRLAC also instituted a vibrant Women’s Network as a Standing Committee to spearhead gender mainstreaming in the activities of Local Authorities in the LVR.

At the beginning of 2004, the LVRLAC Executive Committee initiated a Strategic Planning process that culminated into the adoption of the first LVRLAC Strategic Plan for the period 2005-2008. This strategic plan identified 10 strategic areas of intervention namely; Institutional development; Poverty reduction and Livelihood improvement; Tourism and culture; Urban and rural planning and development; Good Governance; Conflict Management; Environmental management and ecological improvement; Disaster management; Improved health and sanitation; and HIV/AIDS. Through this strategic plan, LVRLAC secured funds through a three-year Sida funded project that addressed 5 of these strategic areas, namely; Institutional development; Poverty reduction and Livelihood improvement; Urban and rural planning and development; Good Governance; Environmental management and ecological improvement.

In the period 2006-2009, LVRLAC has enhanced her network competences in facilitating and building the capacity of LAs for improved service delivery, promoting learning and knowledge management for best practice replication and scaling-up, and network and partnership building for resource leveraging and policy advocacy. Key results have included an increased number of LVRLAC member Local Authorities attracting foreign and private sector investments and adopting best practices in improving local environmental management and poverty alleviation efforts. Established networks with other agencies engaged in sustainable development efforts in the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) has improved synergies, facilitated positive policy influence and enhanced community empowerment and participation in local sustainable development initiatives. This has been augmented by investment flows through strengthened city twinning arrangements with cities in the North where knowledge and skills have been enhanced and governance practices positively influenced. An important knowledge platform established through the project intervention has enabled Local Authorities to make informed decisions and adopt local policies that serve as an impetus for inclusive and balanced local development.

Our Niche

Networking and partnership building is at the core of LVRLAC’s general approach in rallying collective Local Authority efforts towards meeting the goal of sustainable development in the LVB. In this approach, LVRLAC applies her comparative developmental advantage embraced in its hybrid institutional character that blends the operational flexibility of a non-governmental agency with the far reaching mandate and legitimacy of local governments to offer great potential for wide-grassroots outreach and impact and enlist policy changes and more effective enforcement of standards and policies at the local level.

Confidence and Synergy Building is another approach widely employed by LVRLAC in positioning her member Local Authorities at the forefront of sustainable development interventions. In this arena, LVRLAC uses its expansive network collaborations with Lead Agencies sharing similar interest to establish confidence on the abilities and capacities of the Local Authorities to champion interventions launched by various agencies in the LVB.

Knowledge and information uptake and utilization constitutes another approach employed by LVRLAC to bridge the gap between research and application. As network platform, LVRLAC is both a knowledge management and a learning platform and acts as a potent advocacy platform for uptake and utilization of knowledge and information on sustainable development in the LVB.

Lobbying and advocacy channels open to LVRLAC bestride national boundaries to reach regional and international spheres of influence. Carrying the collective voice of the Local Authorities in the LVB, LVRLAC engages State and Non-State Actors at various levels in advancing a course pertinent to the interest of the member Local Authorities as relates to function and opportunity in sustainable development.