0
0
By Denise Kyalwahi
In an exclusive interview with NATURELCD, Dr. Aseffa Seyoum, Regional Manager of the Nile Basin Discourse (NBD), explains the key objective behind the establishment of the Regional Nile Youth Network (RNYN) and how young people can contribute to water cooperation, regional dialogue and decision-making.
Amplifying communities’ concerns
According to Dr. Aseffa Seyoum, the establishment of the Regional Nile Youth Network aims to strengthen youth participation in water governance and ensure that local communities’ concerns reach national and regional decision-makers.
Young people can play a significant role because they are often quick to adopt new approaches, identify solutions and use digital platforms to share information and encourage dialogue among countries in the Nile Basin.
“Through the establishment of this regional youth network, we can bring the perspectives of local communities to the regional level for discussion and help influence policies on water cooperation,” he explained in his interview with NATURELCD.
Connecting communities with decision-makers
According to the Nile Basin Discourse Regional Manager, young people occupy a strategic position because they come directly from local communities and can engage with residents through both formal and informal discussions.
This proximity enables them to better understand local concerns, raise awareness about water-related challenges and communicate community proposals to regional dialogue platforms and decision-making teams.
The Regional Nile Youth Network can therefore serve as a bridge between local communities and institutions involved in water cooperation across the Nile Basin.
For Dr. Aseffa Seyoum, youth participation should help ensure that the realities experienced by local populations are better reflected in water management policies and strategies.
Building youth capacity and supporting their initiatives
During the Regional Nile Youth Forum, participants presented action plans aimed at contributing to policy dialogue and strengthening regional cooperation in water resource management.
The Nile Basin Discourse intends to support these initiatives by helping young people refine their project proposals, strengthen their skills and connect with potential partners and donors.
“We can provide capacity-building training and support resource mobilisation, using these project ideas as pilot initiatives. We can also submit the proposals to potential donors who could contribute to the success and sustainability of the regional and national Nile youth networks,” he said.
Such support could help young people turn their ideas into practical projects and identify the resources needed to implement them.
Youth as a driver of regional cooperation
Beyond participating in meetings and discussions, the Regional Nile Youth Network aims to equip young people with the means to contribute to cooperation among Nile Basin countries.
The challenge is to ensure that young people’s proposals and local communities’ concerns are considered in decisions concerning the shared management of water resources.
For the Nile Basin Discourse, capacity-building, access to partnerships and resource mobilisation are important steps towards achieving this goal.
The network’s success will depend, in particular, on its ability to translate young people’s priorities into concrete and sustainable actions while ensuring that local communities’ voices are heard in regional water dialogue.
