WaterNet, as part of ReNOKA successfully held workshops on the 4th and 5th of August 2022 to validate the findings of the consultants who are undertaking a Human Capacity Needs Assessment for ICM/IWRM in tertiary institutions of Lesotho and natural resource management departments of government.
The needs assessment was part of Work Package 1 of the project that is being implemented by WaterNet through the support of the European Union in Lesotho and the German Government called Human Capacity Building for ICM in Lesotho: Focus on the tertiary sector and short professional courses. This Work Package aims to develop a baseline on ICM skills and Knowledge and to identify knowledge gaps that are going to be filled by the subsequent Work Packages.
Having completed interviews at the National University of Lesotho, Lerotholi Polytechnic and LESOTHO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE (L.A.C.) where the academic programmes were for content on ICM concepts and procedures, the tertiary institutions and consultants met at Victoria Hotel in Maseru Lesotho on the 4th August 2022, while the government departments met on the 5th of August 2022. Among others, the workshops managed to prioritise the 12 key short professional courses that are suitable for addressing knowledge gaps and the modules that would make up an MSc in ICM/IWRM at NUL. This exercise is deemed very instrumental for the smooth implementation of the entire WaterNet project.
As a way forward, WaterNet will begin implementation of:
Work Package 2, which deals with curriculum development for Diploma/Degree courses/programmes at the three institutions and an MSc in ICM/IWRM at NUL. Additionally, in this work package, WaterNet will offer 15 scholarships to Basotho Nationals to study MSc at NUL, 10 internships at national and international organisations and 4 post-doctoral positions to research ICM topics at the NUL.
Work Package 3, where the skills of the already practising natural resource management professionals will be sharpened through 12 professional courses. In this exercise, 480 participants will be trained.
Work Package 4 is the dissemination of project activities through journals and conferences such as the WaterNet Symposium.
Look out for the WaterNet calls for MSc Scholarships at NUL, internships in national and international organisations and post-doctoral positions in the near future.