Establishment of the National Focal Groups (NFGs) in Member States
During the implementation of phase 1 of the Sustainable Groundwater Management (SGM) in SADC Member States Project, 5 National Focal Groups were established in the following countries: Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. The primary objective of the National Focal Groups is to serve as an advocacy group with a collective voice in the country to raise the profile of groundwater. Component 1.1 of phase 2 of the Sustainable Groundwater Management in SADC Member States project made provision for the establishment of 3 additional National Focal Groups and for the intensive capacity building of the accumulated 8 National Focal Groups. SADC-GMI contracted OneWorld Sustainable Investments to facilitate the establishment of 3 additional Focal Groups in Lesotho, South Africa, and Zambia, and to intensify capacity development for the 8 cumulative NFGs. Using its internal resources, SADC-GMI also established further National Focal Groups in the remaining 8 Member States. This aimed to ensure that all 16 SADC Member States have NFG structures established and operational.
The National Focal Groups are aimed at fulfilling the following functions in the respective Member States:- To improve and enhance institutional capacity expand interest in groundwater and influence decision-making towards groundwater investments.
- To ensure that sustainable groundwater management, development, and use is adopted.
- To provide technical support and advice to the Groundwater National Focal Person who is the conduit between the Member State and SADC-GMI.