3 2 • S O U T H E R N A F R I C A N Development of the ICT industry that will support an e-commerce environment. • D E V E L O P M E N T C O M M U N I T Y 3.3.5 WATER Aggressive promotion of a more attractive environment for the private sector. 3.3.5.1 Review of Current Policies and Strategies 3.3.4.4 The overall goal of the Water Sector is the attainment of Meteorology sustainable, integrated planning, development, utilization and management of water resources that 3.3.4.4.1 contribute to the overall SADC objective of an integrated Review of Current Policies and Strategies regional economy on the basis of balance, equity and Primarily, meteorology provides weather information to facilitate preparedness against hunger, social displacement, transport calamities, environmental degradation, etc. The whole region possesses high-level expertise and fairly modern infrastructure for data collection, collation and processing. Policy formulation and commercialisation is at an embryonic stage. The promotion of cost recovery strategies in the delivery of meteorological services is in place. mutual benefit for all Member States. The SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourse Systems was signed in August 1995 and came into force in September 1998 after receiving the required number of ratifications. A process of amending the Protocol was initiated in 1996 to bring it in line with new international conventions and attend to queries of other Member States on the original Protocol. The revision of the Protocol was successfully completed in 1999 and it was signed by 13 Member States in August 2000. As of February 2003, eight Member States had ratified the 3.3.4.4.2 Evaluation of Current Policies and Strategies revised Protocol. The Protocol which provides the legal and broad The drought and excessive rains in recent years have policy framework for cooperation on water issues in the helped to improve the profile of Meteorology in the region, aims at promoting and facilitating sustainable, region. Thus serious implementation of the SADC Protocol equitable and reasonable utilization of the shared has recently been embarked upon in the following areas: watercourses through the establishment of shared • Satellite-based information-gathering infrastructure watercourse agreements and institutions; harmonization in all the countries; and monitoring of legislation and policies; research, Development of appropriate policy and legal frame- technology development, information exchange, capacity work to address cost recovery strategies and improve building, and the application of appropriate technologies regional telecommunications networks for timely in shared watercourses management. • information sharing. Although there is no long-term policy and strategy for the development and management of water resources, the 3.3.4.4.3 Challenges in Current Policies and Strategies • Institutional capacity building to drive the transformation process. Protocol is being operationalised through a Regional Strategic Action Plan (RSAP) for Integrated Water Resources Management and Development in the SADC Region covering the period 1999-2004. The RSAP has identified seven key priorities to be addressed in order to enhance the • Development of model policy and legal framework. • Reduction of dependency on the central treasury to the management and development of water resources. through cost recovery strategies in the meteoro- These are: improving the legal and regulatory framework; logical services operations. institutional strengthening; sustainable development Specification of frequency bandwidth requirements policies; information acquisition, management and for high fidelity transfer of meteorological inform- dissemination; awareness building, education and training; ation. public participation; and infrastructure development. • region's ability to move towards a more integrated approach