Orasecom calls for proposals to optimise river basin

ELLANIE SMIT WINDHOEKThe Orange-Senqu River Commission (Orasecom) wants to optimise the development and management of water resources of the river basin that flows through southern Africa.It recently launched a call for proposals for various short-term consulting services for its Orange-Senqu River Strategic Action Programme Implementation.The Orange-Senqu River, which originates in the Lesotho Highlands, is the third largest river basin in southern Africa. Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa share the basin and the river forms the border between South Africa and Namibia at its lower reaches.According to Orasecom, it secured funding from the Global Environmental Fund through the United Nations Development Programme.This funding, it said, is to implement a project which seeks to strengthen joint management capacity for the basin-wide Integrated Water Resources Management implementation and to demonstrate environmental and socio-economic benefits of an ecosystem-based approach to water resource management.Four componentsThe project, implemented through four components, focuses on institutional and policy reform and technical capacity-building towards enhancing transboundary basin planning and joint management, reducing stress on water resource quality, addressing changes to the hydrological regime through the source-to-sea application and addressing land degradation through community-based ecosystem management.Two of the proposals are consultancy work in Namibia.The first is for a consultancy to prepare an assessment of management options and determine sustainable option for harvesting alien invasive species, Prosopis, in the Orange-Fish basin in Namibia.The work will include setting up the legal and institutional frameworks and policy and institutional mandates for the management of Prosopis, including the revegetation of cleared areas using indigenous tree species and models for entrepreneurship at local level. The consultant will also be required, besides other activities, to deliver practical proposals on how to strengthen national and local level institutional capacity for Prosopis management and provide proposals on harvesting in the project area, taking into consideration environmental impacts.Work will be undertaken from 22 February until 31 May, with the submissions for proposals due no later than 22 January. Value to communitiesIn addition, a request for a proposal has been issued for a consultant to assess the economic opportunities and the development of a marketing strategy and business plan based on the harvesting of Prosopis in the Orange-Fish in Namibia.The selected consultant will be required to determine the value of the Prosopis species to local communities through participatory approaches and to identify profitable uses of Prosopis and options for the communities in the project area. Consultants will also be expected to include a business case for each option and case studies where a cost benefit analysis has been undertaken and possible markets and enterprises - both locally and internationally – have been identified.The deadline for submissions is also 22 January, with work to take place from 8 February to 30 June.

Orasecom calls for proposals to optimise river basin

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-17

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Orasecom calls for proposals to optimise river basin

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-17

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