The East African Community will receive Frw90 billion from the World Bank for the sustainability and maintenance of the Lake Victoria Basin.

This was revealed at a one-day workshop on the fast tracking of the EAC Federation organised by the Ministry of East African Affairs in Kampala.

The fund, to be channelled through the World Bank’s International Development Agency, a poverty alleviation and development agency, will benefit the five-member countries of East Africa that have direct or indirect access to Lake Victoria.

Commissioner Leonard Mugerwa, who represented Hon. Eriya Kategaya, revealed that the fund will be directed towards the development of safe water systems and maintenance of water levels in L. Victoria for the next five years, beginning 2009.

It was also revealed that the grant that is under the 2nd phase of the L. Victoria Environmental Management Project funded by the World Bank will not only be channelled to L. Victoria but 80% of it will go to other areas that indirectly affect L. Victoria.

Mugerwa revealed that member states have reached an agreement to invest a big chunk of the grant towards economic growth and providing social services, drainage systems, reforestation and fighting water pollution in the region.

According to a statement from the World Bank, the 2nd phase of the project targets the agriculture, fishing, forestry and water sectors in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

"The 2nd project will focus on providing agriculture extension services and research, which will take 70% of the total budget in the five-year plan.

General water sanitation and flood protection as well as reforestation projects will take the remaining 30%,” reads the statement.

Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project is a comprehensive regional development programme that covers the whole of Lake Victoria and its catchments.

The overall project level vision is to create a stable Lake Victoria ecosystem capable of meeting demand for food, income, safe water, employment, disease free environment and a conserved biodiversity.

Also tabled in the project is water hyacinth control, improving water quality and land use management, sustainable utilisation of the wetlands for both their buffering capacity and the products therein.

The central concern is to reduce the flow of nutrients and pollutants into the lake and reverse some of the adverse environmental developments of the past.

Speaking at the workshop, the chairperson of the committee for fast tracking the EAC federation, Stephen Akabway who had represented the EAC Secretary General, commended the commitment shown by the member states towards a stronger EAC.

He said that member states have learnt their mistakes from the past and won’t let the bloc collapse easily like it did in the 70s.

He said that the 12% budget allocation by EAC member states towards infrastructure development is a good gesture, saying that the fund will go towards road maintenance, citing the Mbarara-Kabale-Katuna road which is currently being reconstructed as an example.

"All the five member states are ready to ensure that the federation exists forever,’’ remarked Akabway.

Earlier last week President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, on a one-day visit to Uganda, donated $40m towards the maintenance of the L.Victoria basin and R. Nile to ensure water safety and security in the region.

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