Project Structure

The Project Management Unit (PMU), together with national counterparts in National Co-ordination Units (NCUs) form the core of an Okavango Initiative to pull together a network of national and regional experts to produce the analytical work and then launch policy initiatives through consultative fora. The project is aided by the high-level riparian country commitment invested in OKACOM and its mandate to advise on technical and policy issues, and involve country resources that cut across ministerial mandates, sectoral interests, and technical and scientific disciplines. The PMU/NCU arrangement will exist for the life of the project only and is transferring key expertise to national and regional institutions through training and education activities so that programme co-ordination can continue through the period of SAP implementation and beyond.

A critical activity of the PMU at project inception was to obtain an independent review of the mandate and capacity of OKACOM to make recommendations on appropriate changes in the OKACOM agreement and national enabling environments to better effect the implementation of joint management of the ORB. Activities of the PMU and NCUs include: undertaking policy analysis; publishing and discussing results of analysis; formulating policy initiatives; identifying and servicing key training needs at all levels (institutions and communities); and designing investment vehicles for SAP implementation (ii & vi). Sub activities for the PMU include: identifying regional and national capacity building needs and targets; and developing professional training at the regional level. Sub-activities for NCUs include developing and advocating national policy perspectives and developing professional and community training at the national level.