Nacoma gets a year extension

THE World Bank granted the Namibian Coast Conservation and Management Project (Nacoma) another year to ensure its initial five year plan’s objectives are finalised.

The original agreement ended at the close of April this year but the request in November 2010, by Director General of the National Planning Commission, Tom Alweendo, for an extension was granted.The new closing date is set for end of April 2012.’Despite the satisfactory outcome and implementation performance, some key project achievements are lagging behind and will require additional time to be fully completed,’ it stated in a World Bank ‘document’ dated April 14 2011.It stated further that the extension was important to finalise the policy and develop legislation for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM); while also allowing for the finalisation and dissemination of a biodiversity status report and a national coastal communication and knowledge management system to support the ICZM.According to the document, the development of the ICZM policy was delayed due to the need to implement a ‘detailed, comprehensive and time consuming communication strategy that took longer than originally anticipated to implement’.’The communication strategy has now been completed and a White Draft Paper has been submitted for final review to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The final ICZM policy has been presented to the Cabinet which is expected to approve it before June 2011,’ the document read.Nacoma is a N$200 million project that is meeting ‘most of its outcome targets’, which include an 85 per cent increase in area under conservation regimes; bringing a number of important land and marine ecosystems under effective management; and assisting in 50 per cent of Namibia’s coast being better incorporated into planning, policy, institutions and investments at national, regional and local levels.

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