♦ Further strengthen the capacity of AU countries in:
1. Conservation of African resources
2. Preservation of environment by making development, tourism, planning, resource use, landscape and sites promotion through the establishment of protected areas that regulate resource uses and respect ecosystems carrying capacity
3. Strengthening of co-operation at all levels-political, technical and local
4. Improving public participation aiming at rising environmental awareness
5. Encouraging improvement of monitoring and information exchange
6. Avoiding over exploitation of common pool of resources, such as water
7. Introduction of new norms and impositions
8. Promotion of saving technologies among consumers
9. Supply of technical assistance
10. To evolve mechanisms and arrangements for capacity building that will facilitate and co-ordinate access to technical and financial assistance to African countries to implement EGA initiated mandate to implement sustainability network in Africa
11. To investigate the situation of information in the environmental sector in Africa and to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the present situation.
12. To organize and control the environment related data collection, storage, and information dissemination
13. To identify the needs of the environmental information systems, such as networks and technology
14. To bridge the data gap and improve information availability for sustainable development
15. To identify capacity building and training needs
16. To propose projects for achieving some of the above objectives
17. To produce action plans to fulfil the above mentioned objectives to meet international standards and requirements of Agenda 21
The aim of EGA initiative is to
1. Development of capability of African Union member countries to work together for environmental protection and management
2. Prepare and adapt regional development strategies which will serve the needs of all African countries
3. Identifying and maintaining inventory of sources of assistance outside those to be provided by African Union
4. Assisting signatories sustainability networked member countries, upon request, to identify and access the sources
5. Encouraging the involvement of private sector and non-governmental organizations in providing assistance
6. To identify the national capacity building needs
SOME OF SUGGESTED PROJECTS
1. Preparing environmental management plans for ecologically sensitive areas
2. Development of tourist activities by respecting carrying capacity and the equilibrium of the environment
3. Developing water management and solid and liquid waste management plans at a local or national levels
4. Conservation of nature and biodiversity
5. Implementation of telematic tools for environmental management

1. Environment Information Center Oct 2006
2. Establishing a national mechanism Sept 2003
2. identify and define the roles of the different AU institutions May 2003
3. prepare a series of projects in each sector of environment April 2004
4. assess the GHG reduction potential in AU Sept 2004
5. identify the national capacity building needs June 2004

none reported as of Mar 04

To insure a successful implementation of the project, the role of stakeholder will be as follows:
(1) Role of government.
- Establish and empower the required infrastructure for information technology such as communication and providing equipment to the evolved institution
- Providing the necessary assistance to others in carrying out their mission
- Providing the needed training for staff
- hiring qualified personnel for information technology and environmental information
- creating a critical mass capable of communicating with external experts and centers of information. Skills may include ability to write project proposals with knowledge on environment information technology etc.
- reduce government restriction on the release of environmental information to be used by regional and international organizations as seen necessary.
(2) Role of semi government and NGOs
- Non governmental organizations are other users of environment information and produce some of their needed information through small projects and research.
- Promoting the importance of environment information for public through media, workshops, and meetings, etc..
- Lobbying for drafting and enforcing of environment information legislation and regulations
(3) Role of donor institutions (UNDP, UNEP, World Bank, ...etc.)
- Providing the necessary experience and knowledge for providing and dissemination of environment information
- Providing the necessary funds for equipment and infrastructure
- Providing the necessary training and capacity building for local

Source(s):
Currently we are still in the negotiating process to raise funds for implementation of the various phases of the initiative. EGA is committed to raise funds for all the expenses for organizing workshops and liaison other perspective AU member country donors/sponsors.