Kafue River - Participatory Governance

Participatory Governance

The involvement of non governmental stakeholders and the public in policy making and implementation has been recognised as an important feature in environmental governance. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals recognises the participation of non state actors in all levels of governance because they act as a resource pool of local knowledge in project implementation, strengthen institutions of accountability, encourage the efficient use of resources, among others. Participatory governance has been defined as "the active involvement of citizens in government decision-making". The running and management of public affairs is not limited to the government and public administration, but involves cooperation between state institutions and civil society groups who participate in decision-making and implementation. Participatory governance is a key attribute of good governance, especially in states that have economies in transition, are newly democratic, or are engaging in governance reforms because it integrates all stakeholders irrespective of their status and capacity in society, and it is essential in implementing equitable sustainable development. Participation by stakeholders allows discussion of different policies and objectives within sustainable development, participation between different stakeholders encourages openness, transparency and the transference of information. Policy makers should be willing to share information on projects and policy, and non-state actors should be willing to share their local knowledge and experiences on relevant issues because of the voluntary nature of participatory governance.

Because of its size and geographic location, the Kafue River basin is an ecosystem that provides services and support to communities and industries that have different and sometimes conflicting interests in usage of the river resources. "In 1999, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiated dialogue between the Zambian Government, the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) and local people to restore a more natural flow pattern to water releases from the Itezhi-tezhi dam built on the Kafue River". This project heavily influenced development of Zambian Government policy on water resources. In February 2010, the Zambian Cabinet approved a revised National Water policy that "aims to improve water resources management by establishing institutional coordination, engaging in modern methods of integrated water resource management while decentralising government policy to address diverse interests within the water sector". Despite the initiatives, management of the river basin resources remains a challenge. For effective participation in governance, good governance practices should exist between the local government institutions that manage resources and non-state actors. A review done by The Water Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to implement water sector reform noticed "weak linkages between institutions, lack of legislation and policy in managing water resources, and that local communities are not well informed about water management and planning, thus their participation is lacking". Among all users of the Kafue River Basin, the local communities are most marginalised in the decision-making and governance processes yet they have the strongest cultural and economic links to the river basin. Levelling the playing field in participatory governance by increasing access to information and equating all decisions among stakeholders should increase participation from non-state actors, and make the decisions more impartial.