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Invitation to the event “Towards Cities Resilience – Stewardship as a Gamechanger”

Cities face severe threats through resource shortages, natural disasters aggravated by climate change and increasing service delivery demands. Particularly in emerging and developing economies, many cities lack strategies to mitigate these risks.

Yet, cities as economic powerhouses also offer huge opportunities to bring about change.

In this context the Stewardship approach has been successfully implemented by the Natural Resources Stewardship Programme (NatuReS) through multi-stakeholder partnerships to improve environmental, social and economic resilience in cities.

These partnerships bring together empowered communities, government stakeholders and a strong and engaging private sector to work on eye-level and jointly develop solutions citie sface on their way to increased resilience.

You have the opportunity to learn more about how the Stewardship approach can be a gamechanger in cities resilience and jointly discuss this question with NatuReS and its partners on the 30th of June 2022!

You will get to know first-hand experiences and best-practices of representatives from the public, private, and civil society sector and have the opportunity to participate in the discussion.

The event will take place online via MS Teams. You can access the event with this link.

Panelists

  • Public Sector
    • Allan Nkurunzinza, Kampala Capital City Authority, Uganda
    • Bwalya Funga, Lusaka City Council, Zambia
  • Private Sector
    • Peter Okwoko, Takataka Plastics, Uganda
    • Phil Daka, ZACCI Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Zambia
  • Civil Society/ Communities
    • Fatima Nkhuwa, Kamulanga Ward Development Committee, Zambia
    • Benard Loum, CEED Uganda, Uganda

Agenda

Time (EAT)Item
14:00 – 14:05Welcome to the event
14:05 – 14:10Interactive Break
14:10 – 14:15Presenting the Stewardship Approach in Cities  
14:15 – 14:35Introduction to NatuReS and the Cities Resilience Working Group 
14:35 – 14:50Introduction of the panelists
14:50 – 15.30Panel discussion
15:30 – 15.50Plenary discussion with audience
15:50 – 16:00Interactive Break, reflections and closing remarks

“Let’s be responsible and save our future together”: Awareness Campaign in uMhlathuze, South Africa

Together with the City of uMhlathuze, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, the uMhlathuze Water Stewardship Partnership (UWASP) launched an information campaign with the overarching slogan “Let’s be responsible…” in December 2021. The campaign, which is broadcasted through social media and on GagasiFM in both English an isiZulu, aims to create awareness around being a responsible citizen. This includes focusing on the protection of the environment through using water sparingly and not littering, but also by wearing masks and getting vaccinated to curb the spread of the current Covid-19 pandemic as well as other communicable diseases.

awareness campaign
“Let’s be responsible” Campaign by the uMhlathuze Water Stewardship Partnership and the City of uMhlathuze. Copyright: UWASP/GIZ

The campaign will continue and will be rolled out in several primary and secondary schools in the partnership area. The schools awareness campaign will also include the provision of personal protective equipment, including masks and hand sanitizers, as well as bottled water. Besides the schools campaign, a special information sharing campaign will also target up to 500 seasonal farm workers for improved awareness, e.g. on environmental protection. Through the different messages of the campaign, the City of uMhlathuze together with UWASP aim to improve responsible citizenship and awareness around water use, safe communication behaviour and the importance of vaccination in the area.

Launch of the 2021 Urban and Peri-Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Report in Lusaka, Zambia

The award ceremony led by the Guest of Honour, Minister of Water Development and Sanitation, Hon. Mike Elton Mposha.
Copyright: GIZ

Zambia’s National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) launched the 2021 Urban and Peri-Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Report at Lusaka’s Taj Pamodzi Hotel on 9th April 2022. Minister of Water Development and Sanitation, Hon. Mike Elton Mposha, was the Guest of Honor. The report covers the first-year implementation of NWASCO’s 2021-2025 Strategic Plan. This strategic plan focuses on “leveraging on enhanced enforcement, information communication technology, research and development and innovation to efficiently and effectively regulate water supply and sanitation services” at 11 Zambian water and sanitation commercial utilities (CU) and four private schemes.  

The event included the annual presentation of awards to the utilities demonstrating the strongest performance when it comes to sustainable water management in the sector, including the Water Stewardship Awards, presented by the Lusaka Water Security Initiative (LuWSI) .  

The Water Stewardship Awards were launched in January 2018 to promote sound water resource management by companies. It focuses on water conservation and efficiency in business and industry as a main criteria for evaluation. This year’s winners were the Southern Water and Sanitation Company (SWASCO) in first place followed by the Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company (LWSC) in second place. See the video below for more information on the importance of water stewardship for all – private companies, public authorities and communities.

The Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company (LWSC) also received six further awards; namely: (1) most improved commercial utility water service; (2) best staff efficiency; (3) best operations and management cost coverage by collection; (4) second place for Water Stewardship; (5) most improved commercial utility; and (6) 2021 CEO of the Year Award for Engineer Jonathan Kampata. 

LWSC and NWASCO are key partners of the Lusaka Water Security Initiative (LuWSI); Lusaka’s lighthouse initiative for water security, which NWASCO hosts. Through collective action and with private companies and utilities becoming water stewards, the country’s vital natural resources can be protected and sustainably managed. The awards acknowledge and encourage the important work utilities and companies are doing in this regard.

Author: Sonile Mutafya, NatuReS Advisor, Zambia