achievements of the NTEAP according to the UNDP
Through the conduction of a SWOT analysis and in-depth investigation , the research group came our own following conclusions on the successes and failures of the NTEAP:
The NBI member-states lacked the ability to independently enact the policies and projects put forward by the NBI. As a consequence, account managing and project implementation from the World Bank, the UNDP and the UNOPS were important in jumpstarting the NTEAP. By providing organization and technological knowledge, these international organizations brought promise and experience to the Nile Basin. Their control and influence over the project, however, did not come without a cost.The promotion of local input on issues became inhibited by a lack of continued regional cooperation and the strict guidelines of the international institutions. The scale and magnitude of the project were too much for the international organizations (WB, UNDP, and UNOPS) to incorporate all aspects necessary for sustainable success.While the NTEAP has taken the initial step to incorporate grassroots involvement such as the Socio-Economic Development and Benefit Sharing Project (SDBS), the abandonment of foreign, international aid and a re-energized focus on regional cooperation must be attainted to allow for local control. The Nile Basin states will never achieve the goals of the NTEAP without properly learning from their experience with the World Bank, the UNDP, and the UNOPS, and institutionalizing this knowledge to maintain progress.
It is our view that without direct and substantial input from the local population, in conjunction with professional technocrats and environmentalists, sustainable environmental conservation and socioeconomic development are impossible. The ability of a project to realistically endure opposition from either of these groups and succeed is not only unlikely, but ill-fate from the start. That is why the initial and temporary participation of international groups are important in establishing a foundation. Their inability to work effectively with local populations, however, means that such transboundary issues must be done through regional cooperation and local involvement.
