Maun — The management of the Okavango River Basin, Botswana, Namibia and Angola has received a P13.5 million boost from the government of Sweden.

The present was made Wednesday night in Maun, according to officials from the commission.

Sweden has offered to assist the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM) towards the starting of a secretariat in Maun. The grant will fund the secretariat for three years, after which contributions will come from the three member states.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the agreement, Swedish government representative Cecilia Ornberg said that Sweden was committed to contributing substantially to the regional development agenda of southern Africa.

She said integrated management of the basin's natural resources and environment was an important element of Sweden's development policies and activities in the area.

The signing ceremony formed part of the annual general meeting of delegates from the three OKACOM countries.

The weeklong meeting is being hosted by the Botswana delegation led by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources Dr Akolang Tombale. Tombale said that the Botswana cabinet recently approved the hosting by Botswana of the secretariat which marked an important advancement in the ongoing management of the river basin and reflected a commitment on behalf of all three countries involved.

He said the OKACOM interim secretariat, funded through USAID, has contributed tremendously to the establishment of the OKACOM secretariat and commended it for a job well done.