Full report LR.pdf - DLIST Benguela

NACOMA Project – Preparation PhaseAnalysis of the Institutional Capacity in the Namib Coast Regional Councils1. INTRODUCTIONThe "Namib Coast Biodiversity Conservation and Management" (NACOMA) Projectintends to support Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and biodiversityconservation by implementing an effective coastal zone planning framework. NACOMAwill pursue this overall goal by implementing three components. First, there will be acoastal policy process that will address all coastal issues in a manner that is wellinformedand participative so that the needs and aspirations of the coastal inhabitants canbe incorporated and the roles of all parties can be clearly defined in terms of ensuring thewise use of Namibia’s coastal areas. Second, NACOMA will make provision for capacitybuilding and institutional strengthening of the Regional Councils as the organs that willplay a major role not only in the policy making process itself, but also in theimplementation of the policy once it is in place. In particular will the environmentalplanning and management capacity of Regional Councils be strengthened, this being tiedclosely to progress made in terms of decentralisation in the country. Finally, there will bea third component that will increase linkages between biodiversity conservation andlivelihood creation by establishing pilot projects and programmes that will lead toconservation of coastal biodiversity.The project will be implemented through the Regional Councils in the Kunene, Hardap,Erongo, and Karas regions whose mandates are closely tied to the decentralisationprocess. This process is grounded in the Decentralisation Enabling Act of 2000 1 , theresponsibility that falls under the Ministry of Regional and Local Government andHousing (MRLGH). In order for the Regional Councils to perform their designatedfunctions, adequate institutional capacity must be built. Such capacity building willrequire focused action in terms of:o The internal institutional capacity of the Regional Councils, their mission, goals,strengths and weaknesses, and those of related institutions/ agencieso The most adequate organisational structure to cater for the demands ofdecentralised environmental and biodiversity conservation planning.A capacity assessment was carried out by MRLGH in 2000 2 for all the regions inNamibia, which focussed in particular on the central level MRLGH obligations towardsthe Regions. The current report focuses more specifically on the Regional Councils’operational situation in the current state of decentralisation. It assesses the capacity of theRegional Councils and recommends on the optimum and sustainable institutional set-upand capacity building strategy to be supported by the NACOMA Project. The role of theRegional Councils is expected to be enhanced and strengthened through thedecentralisation process, which entails organisational and functional changes in terms ofidentified roles and mandates. Therefore, the secondary objective of NACOMA is toupdate and link the information on the decentralisation process to the institutional1 The Decentralisation Enabling Act, 2000 provide the legislative basis for the Decentralisation process.2 MRLGH, 2000. Capacity Assessment of Regional Councils in Namibia.5