EcoNews Africa (ENA)

From TrustAfrica wiki - African Regional Organizations

Mbaruk Road, Off Mucai Drive, (Ngong Road)
P.O. Box 10332, 00100 GPO Nairobi Kenya
Tel: 254 20 2721076 / 99, 2725743 / 2721655
Fax: 254 20 2725171
E mail: info@econewsafrica.org
Website: http://www.econewsafrica.org

Grace Githaiga, Executive Director

Description

EcoNews Africa (ENA) is an indigenous organization, established by Kenyan Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) as a facility to meet the information requirements of NGOs in East Africa. It seeks to enhance their involvement in international decision-making processes that impinge on sustainable development in East Africa. It was founded in 1992, and incorporated as a legally registered entity in June 1996. EcoNews Africa activities are undertaken in collaboration with established service-delivery and advocacy NGOs and CBOs. Its scope of operation covers Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

EcoNews Africa envisions a society in which communities are at the center of decision making on issues affecting them; control their local environment, and have choices and alternatives to enable them act in their own, others' and future generations’ best interests. Its mission is to enable African CBOs and NGOs to be actively involved in decision-making on sustainable development by promoting timely and strategic information flows at all levels. Thematic areas of interest for EcoNews include trade & investment, community media, communication policy, human rights, NEPAD, poverty, debt, aid and finance.

The main objective is to bridge the local and global information gap by engaging in advocacy and lobbying in the areas of trade and community media.

Specific Objectives:

• Inform and provide policy makers, non-governmental organizations and community based organizations with information on international processes likely to impact on national policies.
• Facilitate an interactive exchange of views between the policy-makers, NGOs and CBOs at the national and sub-regional levels to determine the most appropriate options.
• Ensure mainstream media covers issues on sustainable development of relevance to the region.

The activities of the organization are implemented through the following programs:

Networking, Communication and Capacity Building (NECCAB): The program’s main objectives are to build a strong and active constituency of NGOs and CBOs to influence decision-making processes at the local, national and international levels, with respect to trade, environment and information and demonstrate how to implement these agreements at the local level in a practical and participatory manner; and, to assist CBOs and NGOs in East Africa to establish and develop participatory media structures in order to develop a strong and active network of East African NGOs and CBOs. Capacity building sessions have thus been held with local grassroots stakeholders such as farmer’s organizations, parliamentarians and the media to enhance their understanding of international trade arrangements and processes and their impacts on local agriculture and incomes.

Policy Research and Advocacy: The main objectives of the program are to lobby for the domestication and harmonization of international conventions and agreements at the national level and to analyze the impact of international trade policies on developing countries. The Policy Research and Advocacy Program (PRAP) focuses on issues of multilateral and bilateral trade. Its activities are geared towards lobbying, advocacy and capacity building on issues of trade. The program also carries out research in the area of trade particularly trade negotiations and uses the findings in its campaign and advocacy activities. The activities undertaken under PRAP target various stakeholders in the East Africa region. They include Civil Society Organizations, grassroots stakeholders, parliamentarians, government officials in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, media and the private sector.

EcoNews Africa is governed by a Board of Directors drawn from individuals with expertise on the voluntary sector and/or areas of operation of the organization. The Secretariat implements the decisions of the Board of Directors. The directors chart out the organization’s policies, approve budgets and propose programs and work plans and assume overall financial responsibility. They meet at least four times a year. The policies and decisions of the board are implemented by the Secretariat comprising of the Executive Director, Program and administrative staff.

Partnerships with other organizations are developed around specific programs and/or activities. Where ENA is the leading partner, advisory groups and/or committees are constituted to provide advice and guidance to the programs.

EcoNews collaborates with a broad range of partners to implement its objectives including: The Ministry of Trade and Industry; Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA); Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES); Oxfam-GB; Seatini; Africa Trade Network; International Development Research Centre (IDRC); NOVIB; Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS); BOTHENDS; Oxfam-GB International; Forum Syd; TraidCraft Policy Unit.

Track Record

Through its networking, communication and capacity building program, EcoNews has successfully established community controlled information and communication structures in the rural areas of the region. These Community Based Organizations such as Mang'elete Community Integrated Development Program (MCIDP) in Kenya (which brings together 33 women rural groups whose aim is to improve reproductive health, agricultural productivity and information sharing among the rural poor), Uganda Rural and Development Training (URDT), in Uganda (which brings together pastoral Masaai Community from five districts of Same, Mwanga, Lushoto, Simanjiro and Korogwe), and Institute for Orkornerei Pastoralists Advancement (IOPA) in Tanzania (that endeavours to improve the livelihood of the peasant households in the sub-counties in Kibaale District). These three organizations own community radio stations currently broadcasting in Nthongoni, Makueni District in Kenya, Kibaale in Uganda and Terrat in Tanzania disseminating information on their program areas and activities. Orkornerei Radio Services was awarded the Edward Moringe Sokoine Journalistic Excellence Award for the year 2005 in Television/Radio Category. The radio was recognized as the best Community Broadcasting Station in Tanzania.

EcoNews believes in working together with other like-minded organizations to effectively address issues of trade that affect the country and the region. Nationally, it has continued to facilitate and coordinate Kenyan and international civil society based in Nairobi working on multilateral and regional trade issues under the umbrella Kenya Civil Society Association (KCSA). Regionally, EcoNews works with organizations affiliated to the Africa Trade Network as well other CSOs in the region working of trade issues.

EcoNews similarly nurtures the growth of networks and initiatives by providing the logistical and administrative support. Currently, EcoNews houses and supports the activities of two networks namely the Kenya Debt Relief Network (KENDREN) and the Kenya Community Media Network (KCOMNET).

The Kenya Debt Relief Network is the premier organization dealing with debt issues in the country. As a membership network, it is made up of organizations, groups and individuals keen to address economic issues and the crippling debt burden facing Kenya. KENDREN is keenly involved with other debt networks and processes both at the continental and global sphere especially as a coalition member of the Africa Forum on Debt and Development, Africa Jubilee South and Jubilee South. Kenya Community Media Network (KCOMNET) is a national network of individuals, media practitioners, and media organizations, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) with an interest in development communications and community media projects committed to promoting community media in Kenya. Its mission is to improve people’s ability to participate in their own development through communication.

EcoNews also produces publications to enhance its campaign and advocacy work, and publishes the EPA e-newsletter. At also publishes policy briefs based on research studies undertaken to provide inputs to the Kenyan position on WTO negotiations. For instance, in the run-up to the Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong, ENA produced briefing papers on Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) and services. These were presented at meetings with the Ministry of Trade and distributed to civil society during public meetings. It also produced a policy brief on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and agriculture, which was used to lobby the government position on the EPAs.

Other research papers/briefings published by EcoNews include: Assessments on the implications of liberalization on agriculture and manufacturing markets. These were carried out jointly by some Kenyan civil society organizations, Implications of Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations for regional integration of the East African countries: The case of Kenya. The study carried out looked at implications of the EPAs on regional trade and regional integration from Kenya’s perspective. Another project, EPAs and implications for Kenya, was a background study done by the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA).

Challenges

EcoNews has faced a number of challenges in implementing its planned activities. The main one is funding shortfalls that affect implementation of program activities and hence, outcomes. Secondly, the organization also faces understaffing and limited human resource capacity.

In coordinating the activities of the CSOs in the trade area, EcoNews faces the challenge of relatively few organizations being involved seriously in trade policy issues which affects campaign activities of the CSOs. Most of the organizations in the network do not prioritize trade issues.

The community radio projects sometimes also face some challenges. For example, Orkornerei Radio Services in Tanzania has faced some problems with the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) which allows Swahili as the only language of broadcast for all stations. This was a challenge for the community radio station because of the high illiteracy levels among the pastoralist community, who would prefer broadcasts to be in the Maa language. Community radio can offer communities a cheap but vital way of protecting their language and heritage. Competition from other local radio stations also affects the impact capabilities of local radio stations. The continued increase in the price of fuel has impacted on the three East African Community Radio Stations which use diesel to run their broadcast equipment. The three stations are considering diversification into alternative sources of energy to reduce their vulnerability to high operational costs.