At the beginning of November, the 8th REMCO – the three-country conference on River and Environmental Management Cooperation – took place in Maputo, Mozambique. Hosted by our water colleagues in Mozambique, REMCO is a powerful regional platform for co-learning, innovation, and inclusive decision-making.
More than 150 participants from Mozambique, Eswatini, and South Africa – the countries that share the Incomati-Maputo river basin – came together to strengthen resilience and governance in transboundary water management. Alongside the regional water authorities, Dutch and German water partners also joined the discussions, underlining the international commitment to sustainable water solutions. (See our earlier news on the Remco conference)
Blue Deal Eswatini: Building Capacity and Collaboration
The following week, Blue Deal Eswatini travelled west to continue the work on knowledge exchange, transboundary water management, capacity building, organisational development, and stakeholder participation.
A key message during this visit: all end users of surface and groundwater must contribute to the work of the water authorities. This principle is implemented together with the Joint River Basin Authorities (JRBA) Project Board – the central organisation coordinating five regional water authorities. Contributions are based on capacity and benefit: small farmers pay little, large companies pay more.
At the same time, the sector faces the challenge of becoming more efficient – having to “do more activities with the same number of people.” We had the privilege of discussing this challenge and necessity with the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, HRH Prince Lonkhokhela, who honoured us by personally presenting a traditional Kanga as a token of appreciation (see picture).
Next Steps for Organisational Optimisation
During the visit, meetings were also held with the JRBA board and staff, where the team engaged in fruitful discussions with the working committee about the need for and next steps in optimising the organisation of the water sector. This was concluded by providing feedback to JRBA management to prepare follow-up actions together with the Blue Deal.
Looking ahead
In the coming years, the cross-border component of cooperation between South Africa, Eswatini, and Mozambique will become increasingly important. Strengthening governance, improving efficiency, and ensuring inclusive participation will remain at the heart of this collaboration.