South Sudan seeks membership in Lake Victoria Basin Commission

JUBA – South Sudan is seeking membership in the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), an institution of the East African Community (EAC), according to the deputy information minister Jacob Mijok Korok.

The move comes as South Sudan seeks to tap into water management expertise and project funding offered by the LVBC.

“The Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation presented a memo on the two regional meetings in Kenya and Burundi which aimed at joining the Lake Victoria Basin Commission,” Korok said following a cabinet meeting on Friday.

“South Sudan consented to the Lake Victoria Basin Commission as it is ratified by the EAC protocol to consider South Sudan and DRC in current and future projects,” Korok added.

The Lake Victoria Basin Commission Bill, 2019, would pave the way for South Sudan’s participation in various projects within the basin.

Membership would also grant South Sudan access to economic and environmental benefits associated with the shared resource.

Currently, only the five EAC partner states bordering the lake – Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, and Rwanda – are members of the commission established in 2003.

Like these countries, South Sudan is geographically located within the Lake Victoria Basin.