The Namibia Integrated Landscape Approach for Enhancing Livelihoods and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty (NILALEG) Project has awarded 10 grants worth a combined N$6,828, 736.51 under three investment windows, namely crop and rangeland management, agroforestry and nature-based enterprise.
The NILALEG project is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to the tune of US$ 10,823,744 and aims to reverse environmental degradation and maximize sustainable livelihoods based on nature through integrated management of Namibia’s rural landscapes.
Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta speaking during the award ceremony said the grants will help enhance livelihoods of our people and assist in meeting the expected outputs of the Project through the reduction of poverty, protecting and restoring forests as carbon sinks, biodiversity conservation.
“I am confident that we are on the right track towards improving the living standards of our people as a result of deliberate government interventions that put livelihoods at the centre of our development agenda and the overall attainment of the global commitment through the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.
“The project aims to promote an integrated landscape management approach in key agricultural and forest landscapes, reducing poverty through sustainable nature-based livelihoods, protecting biodiversity and restoring forests as carbon sinks, and promoting Land Degradation Neutrality,”NILALEG Project Manager, Jonas Nghishidi said.
Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia Chief Executive Officer, Benedict Libanda, said “This project is unique in many ways. It firstly utilizes a landscape approach to addressing environmental and climate induced threats to Namibian livelihoods. This approach seeks to provide tools and concepts for managing land to achieve social, economic, and environmental objectives in areas where agriculture, forest management, and other productive land uses compete with environmental and biodiversity goals.”
Anne Madzara, Interim UNDP Deputy Resident Representative said, “Partnership must continue to be at the heart of our strategy. We should have the humility to acknowledge the essential role of other actors, while maintaining full awareness of our unique convening power.” These grants being extended to communities today are therefore a clear demonstration of a strong commitment to partnerships that facilitate the voice and agency of local communities nothing without local communities for local communities, if we want to achieve sustainable growth and ecological integrity.”
In summary, the key impacts of the NILALEG grant facility under this first call for proposals are:
Total grants disbursed under each investment window:
- Agroforestry – NAD 1,239,447.80
- Crop/Rangeland Management – NAD 4,087,289.71
- Nature-based Enterprises – NAD 1,472,000.00
The aggregated number and value of grants per targeted landscape is as follows:
- Zambezi – 3 grants, valued at NAD 2,009,200.00
- Ruacana – 2 grants, valued at NAD 1,344,417.71
- Omaoipanga – 1 grant, valued at NAD 685,883.00
- Okongo – 4 grants, valued at NAD 2,789,235.80
