The project focused on capacity needs assessment in order to determine priority challenges for capacity building initiatives in SADC Member States, especially in the groundwater fraternity. The project was implemented by the University of Western Cape on behalf of the SADC Groundwater Management Institute (SADC-GMI), and it ran from the 12th of February 2018 to the 12th of June 2018.

The Capacity needs assessment within the groundwater fraternity in the SADC region is highly critical in order to gain a deeper understanding of the state of the existing groundwater and related capacity at national and regional level in the SADC member states, but also a more general appreciation of the position of groundwater in contemporary water policy and legislation in each state and also to direct capacity development initiatives in the region. To this end there have been many initiatives in capacity building in groundwater at country level in SADC Member States and at Transboundary River Basin level at both academic and technical levels supported by a multitude of international organizations and groundwater networks. Previous assessments have come up with different recommendations.