RCMRD holds its 12th Conference of Ministers Meeting and 56th Governing Council Meeting at Kampala Uganda.
The Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development held its 12th Conference of Ministers Meeting and 56th Governing Council Meeting from 14 to 22 Nov 2022 at Speke Resort in Munyonyo Kampala, Uganda. The meeting was hosted by the Republic of Uganda through the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development . Seventeen Member States who participated in the meeting were Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Also in attendance was the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) who are also members of the RCMRD Governing Council.
Conference of Ministers Meeting
The Conference of Ministers (CoM), the highest organ of RCMRD structure, was opened by Her Excellency the Vice President of the Republic of Uganda Maj (Rtd.) Jessica Alupo, representing His Excellency President Yoweri Museveni.
Her Excellency Vice-President of Uganda, Jessica Alupo opened the Conference of Ministers meeting
While opening the meeting, the Vice President commended the work of the Centre over its half century of existence in supporting the use of geospatial information in various sectors critical to the economy of Uganda but more importantly in promoting Pan Africanism and integration on the continent by engendering solidarity among the 20 member States in the eastern and southern Africa region. She reiterated His Excellency President Museveni’s support for all initiatives in line with African integration to which RCMRD is central.
During this meeting Uganda was elected the new Chair of the RCMRD Conference of Ministers for the next two years taking over from Bostwana. Among the documents that were approved by the CoM was RCMRD Vision 2050 as well the new Strategic Plan 2023-2026. An implementation evaluation for the current strategic plan 2019 – 2022 was presented and it was reported that the Centre had executed the planned activities to the level of 87%.
Conference of Ministers Group Photo with the Vice President of Uganda at the middle in the front row
The CoM new Chairperson, the Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Judith Nabakooba, appreciated the trust bestowed on Uganda to lead the two highest organs of RCMRD over the next two years. She pledged her total commitment to the ideals and agenda of the institution and assured her counterparts to work closely with them during her tenure.
RCMRD Chair of Conference of Ministers Judith Nabakooba from Uganda
Governing Council Meeting
The Conference of Ministers meeting was preceded by the 56th meeting of the Governing Council (GC) that brought together Government officials in the rank of Permanent Secretary or Principal Secretary mainly from the Ministries of Lands, of the 20 member States. The Technical Committee meeting of the Governing Council which kicked off on November 14th, 2022 was opened by the Minister of State for Lands in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Hon. Dr. Sam Mayanja while the full plenary of the Governing Council which commenced on November 16th, 2022 was opened by the Minister of State for Housing in the same ministry Hon. Persis Namuganza, Princess.
Besides several new policies approved, the GC considered the Director General’s report for the year 2022 as well as the Centre’s Work programme and Budget 2023.
Video highlight of RCMRD activities
A video of some of the activities accomplished in the current strategic plan (2019 – 2022) was presented and it can be accessed on this link
RCMRD Map Competition 2022
The meeting also witnessed the award of the prizes of the map competition winners. The Centre has been running this competition since July 2022. The top prize of Euros 4,000 went to Mr. Letseka Mafereka from the Kingdom of Lesotho. The other three winners got Euros 3,000 each were Dickson Mbeya from Blantyre, Malawi under the category of Forestry, Protected Areas & Wildlife. Lauren Williams from Cape Town, South Africa under the category of Marine, Oceans and Coastal Information. Mary Okoth from Nairobi, Kenya under the category of Land Degradation, Wetlands and Conservation.
RCMRD Map Competition 2022 Winners
Key Decisions
A number of key decisions were made by both the CoM and GC regarding the implementation of the Centre’s mandate to serve member States and its operations. The following are some of the key decisions made:
- 12th CoM Meeting
a) Approval of RCMRD Vision 2050.
b) Approval of Strategic Plan 2019-2022 End Term Evaluation which assessed the overall implementation of the Strategic Plan to have achieved 87% of the Planned performance targets.
c) Approval of Strategic Plan 2023-2026. This details the key milestones to be achieved based on key guiding pillars in the next four years.
- 56th GC Meeting
a) Approval of 2022 Director General’s Report
The 2022 DG’s Report that highlighted the Centre’s achievements in implementation of its major activities such as infrastructure development – progress in the construction of student hostels, projects, training and other services to member States and clients as guided by the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan and 2022 Annual Work Plan was approved.
b) Approval of 2023 Annual Work Plan and Budget
The Centre Annual Work Plan detailing major activities planned for implementation and its budget in 2023 as drawn from Strategic Plan 2023-2026 was approved. This will cover the First year of the implementation of the Strategic Plan.
c) Audit Report 2021
The external Auditor’s Report covering the financial year 2021 was considered and approved.
d) Approval of the following Policies: -
i. Anti-Money Laundering Policy.
ii. Fraud Risk Management Policy.
iii. Debt Management Policy.
iv. Corporate Social Responsibility Policy.
v. ICT Policy.
vi. Whistle Blowing Policy.
vii. Conflict-of-Interest Policy.
viii. Child Labour Protection Policy.
ix. Anti-Human Trafficking Policy.
