Global Affiliates

Mr. Sylvester A. Matemu, from Tanzania, East Africa, is an expert in International and National Water Law. At the national level, Mr. Matemu was responsible to coordinate negotiations on transboundary water agreements and supervise preparation and execution of transboundary water resources management and development plans, as well as ensuring mainstreaming of adopted regional and international water programmes and strategies at national level. His purpose and focus were to ensure that shared waters at regional and continental levels are managed peacefully through effective transboundary water cooperation among member states.

His wide experience in the public Sector covers a period of 40 years to-date, out of which 29 years in the Water Sector and 11 years in the Education, Energy, Minerals and Communication Sectors. In these sectors, he served at different capacities including chairmanship of various Technical Advisory Committees at national, regional and international levels, various Boards of Water related Institutions and advisor to Ministers responsible for Water, Higher Education, Communication, Science and Technology. At regional and continental levels, Mr Matemu was endorsed by all Nile Basin Countries to become an Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), based in Entebbe, Uganda in 2021. He is also the President of the African Network for Basin Organizations (ANBO).

In the context of his work with these organisations, he served on various technical committees at regional level and he also participated in international high-level forums on transboundary water resources management since 2003. Some of the key regional and international institutions include the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), African Ministers Council (AMCOW), Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM), Songwe River Basin Commission (SRBC), Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA), Global Water Partnership (GWP) and GIZ and the Joint Water Commission of Ruvuma River Basin (JWC).  On a part time basis, he supported the Water-Net programme (International Water Law) for master’s degree students studying Integrated Water Resources Management Modules at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.   

Bionote

Mr Matemu holds an LL.M. from in International and National Water Law and Policy from the University of Dundee, Scotland, 2002) and he also has a background in Civil Engineering.