Technical Assistance to the Watershed Development Monitoring and Evaluation Component of the Tana Beles Integrated Water Resources Development Project

The TB WME component of the Tana Beles Integrated Water Resources Development Project (TBIWRDP) originated from one of the Fast Track Projects under the Nile Basin Initiative, which were targeted at bringing tangible benefits to the rural population of the Eastern Nile area faster than regular investment programs. The overall objective of TBIWRDP was to develop enabling institutions and investments for integrated planning, management and development in the Tana and Beles Sub-basins to accelerate sustainable growth. The TB WME was specifically designed to support sustainable watershed development and management through community based planning and participation in the Ribb, Gumera, and Jema sub-watersheds in the Lake Tana sub-basin. The WME provided specific monitoring and evaluation Technical Assistance.

Land degradation in all its forms and over-exploitation of wetlands has become a serious threat facing all land use activities in the region. It is widely recognized that the sustainability of any achievements derived from past and on-going investments in the Tana Beles catchment require that the rate of land degradation must be stopped and if possible even reversed. TB WME developed a modern reliable MIS and M&E, including data collection and database design into a system which will enable horizontal and vertical communication. It also improved management, planning and decision making based on the use of M&E through capacity building and encouraged the use of timely and reliable data to raise awareness of its benefits and thereby increase ownership.