East African Communities’ Organization for Management of Lake Victoria Resources (ECOVIC) was founded in 1998 in Jinja Uganda and registered in Tanzanian in 1999 as an international Non Governmental Organization with its headquarters in Mwanza city. It has Country Chapters in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, all of which are registered in their respective countries as national NGOs. Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya Chapters have their head offices in Mwanza, Jinja and Homa Bay respectively.
ECOVIC forms a regional umbrella organization for Civil Society Organizations-CSOs (e.g. CBOs, NGOs and Cooperatives) spread out in the entire Lake Victoria Basin, East Africa. Each Country chapter has a wide range of membership of CSOs engaged in, among other areas, fisheries and forest management, water and sanitation, environmental protection, small scale socio-economic activities and human health related activities.
ECOVIC Tanzania is the largest in terms of area of coverage and membership. It has a membership of over 700 CSOs spread out in the four regions of the lake zone namely Mwanza, Shinyanga, Mara and Kagera. These regions have a total of 26 districts..
ECOVIC Uganda is second in area of coverage and membership. It has membership of over 150 CSOs spread out in the 13 districts within the lake zone.
ECOVIC Kenya is the smallest. It has a membership of over 120 CSOs spread out in the 9 districts of the lake zone
The idea to form ECOVIC was conceived on the realization by the lake basin communities of the deteriorating environmental condition of the lake basin. There was escalating natural resource depletion and the rising poverty. These concerns were acknowledged as trans-boundary and solutions could be found through joint action..
This realization called for a regional institutional arrangement that would ensure and promote meaningful participation of the communities in efforts to restore the lake basin environment.
Such an institutional arrangement would further ensure coordinated community initiatives targeting specific issues. The institution would play a key role in information collation, repackaging and dissemination to the communities besides active involvement in lobby and advocacy.
Regional Governing Council
This is the highest policy making organ of ECOVIC. The council is responsible for policy guidance, and set regulation and standards for compliance by the three countries
Regional Secretariat
This is under the Regional Coordinator. The secretariat ensures uniformity in ECOVIC activities implementation in the three countries and coordinates all other regional meetings and activities
NATIONAL CHAPTERS
National Governing Council
The council is responsible for national policy guidance and ensures national policies and regulations are in line with regional requirements.
These are under the National Coordinators. The secretariats are responsible for Coordinating implementation of ECOVIC activities and programmes at the national level
This is the implementing organ of ECOVIC
ECOVIC recognizes the link between sustainable resources management and socio-economic aspects and emphasize the importance of integrating the two. This is with a view to promoting responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable natural resource utilization that maintains biodiversity and safe guard the aquatic ecosystem. The organization is able to realize this by coordinating and streamlining the activities of its widespread membership in this direction.
ECOVIC’s relationship with the government, international organizations and intergovernmental organizations is one of critical yet constructive engagement. As a result, ECOVIC has been successful to a significant extent to bring these organizations to recognize and support community participation in management of Lake Victoria resources.
ECOVIC plays a key role in articulating the interests of its members. It advocates and lobbies for responsive policies on resource management among other key issues.
ECOVIC’s greatest strength lies on four areas
The organization is a membership organization of CSOs i.e. NGOs, CBOs and cooperatives that are spread out in the entire lake basin and which are involved in specific thematic areas e.g. Fisheries –fish farming and harvesting, horticulture, fruit farming, re-afforestation, sanitation etc. Through this membership ECOVIC is able to directly involve the community.
ECOVIC also works with cultural institutions especially in Uganda. Through the cultural leadership ECOVIC is able to easily mobilize and involve communities in specified programmes.
The organization has a structure that starts at grassroot member organizations.
Representatives of these organizations form the district, regional and national structures. This structure ensures that experiences of the communities form the basis of decision making. This makes ECOVIC agenda and programme implementation community driven.
ECOVIC’s membership is involved in many thematic activities and they form the implementing arm of the organization. Implementation at this level is closely monitored by the district and regional structures of ECOVIC. ECOVIC management at national level through the secretariats remain that of designing programmes based on ideas from the communities. They coordinate the programmes and build capacity of the membership. This set up ensures effective involvement of the community at all levels of programme conception, design and implementation.
The organization is regional and brings together CSOs and by extension the communities in the lake Victoria basin of three East Africa countries. This is very significant since through ECOVIC the larger community in the basin is easily reached, mobilized and involved. ECOVIC also offers a regional forum for addressing trans-boundary issues. Such an approach is critical as we move towards intergration of the East African communities.