NewsDutch-Sino East Africa Bamboo Development Programme third steering committee meeting
INBAR bamboo development programme in East Africa has recently held its third steering committee meeting.
The Dutch-Sino East Africa Bamboo Development Programme Phase II has recently held its third Steering Committee meeting in Kampala, Uganda. Present at the meeting were government focal persons from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, donor representatives from China and the Netherlands, Global Programme Coordinators from INBAR, and the Programme Manager. The meeting discussed an overview of activities and results achieved and challenges faced during the second year of the programme and approved work plan and budget for the third year implementation of the programme. It has also discussed challenges posed by Covid-19 and political unrest on the programme implementation and passed resolutions that could help arrest the challenges.
The meeting was joined by the Hon. Beatrice Anywar Atim, the Minister of Environment of the government of Uganda. During her keynote speech, the Minister welcomed the participants and appreciated the effort that has been put in place by INBAR and the governments of China and the Netherlands to strengthen the bamboo sector development of her country. She promised to help promote and support the work of INBAR in Uganda and appreciated the activities of the programme in the country. She mentioned that Uganda has benefited from the knowledge, best practices, and improved bamboo and rattan technologies provided by INBAR to promote and advance its bamboo sector. She added that one of the major achievements of INBAR bamboo development programmes in Uganda is the support provided in adopting the National Bamboo Strategy and Action Plan (2019 – 2029) of the country.
Part of the Steering Committee visited programme activities in different locations of Uganda. The team visited the Uganda Bamboo Association bureau and made a productive discussion with the senior managers of the association. The team also paid a visit to nursery sites, plantations, processing factories, and charcoal production sites.
As part of the leadership structure of the programme, the steering committee consisting of representatives from the governments of the five participating countries – China, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Netherlands, and Uganda – as well as the INBAR Secretariat has been established. The steering committee meets once a year to review annual progress and approve the project work plan for the following year.
