Services
Environment and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs)
Ugandan regulations require that any project likely to have negative impacts on the environment has to undergo an Environment and Social Impact Assessment. Our specialists offer a multidisciplinary service aimed at assessing impact, designing mitigations and alternatives and gaining regulatory approvals. JBN has international experience of undertaking complex and challenging assessments in many development sectors including hydropower, roads, bridges, agriculture, aviation, power lines, fuel stations, industries, etc
Baseline Surveys
Before any project can commence, it is important to understand the state of the environment i.e. the baseline so as to have a basis for monitoring project impacts in the future. We conduct Social Baseline Surveys, Environmental Baselines, Hydrological Baselines, and Bathymetry Surveys among others as part of Feasibility Studies.
Preparation of Management Plans
Managing day-to-day project activities requires having in place comprehensive management plans. We prepare a number of management plans including: Environment and Social Management Plans, Health and Safety Plans, Emergency Response Plans, Traffic Management Plans, HIV/AIDS and STI Management Plans, Waste Management Plans, and Decommissioning Plans.
Environment and Social Compliance Audits
Developers are required to conduct annual environmental and social compliance audits after commencement of projects in line with the National Environment Act and the National Environment Audit Regulations. Our team of Environment Engineers, Ecologists, Food Safety Specialists, Toxicologists, Sociologists, Social Development Specialists and Hydrologists among work together to ensure that the audits are comprehensive and that they are guided by science
Environment Monitoring and Reporting
Environmental and social monitoring aims at checking the effectiveness and relevance of the implementation of the proposed mitigation measures. Using state-of-the-art monitoring equipment, JBN specialists help to detect and solve air quality, noise, water quality and soil contamination problems quickly. We also offer performance reporting services by preparing Environment Reports, Gender Reports, Safety and Health Reports and HIV/AIDS and STI Reports among others.
Occupational Health and Safety
Ugandan laws require Contractors and Developers to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees including those of their sub-contractors and of all other persons on the Site. We work closely with Developers and Contractors to prepare Occupational Safety and Health Plans as well as provision of experienced Safety and Health personnel for a diverse range of projects. For example, JBN provided full-time Health and Safety Officers for the construction of the New Nile Bridge at Jinja as well as a number of road construction projects.
Technical Advisory Services
We provide technical advisory services to private Developers, Government Institutions, and international financial institutions especially the World Bank and African Development Bank in terms of Technical Advisors and Experts for various missions and projects. For example, Mr. Nelson Omagor served as the Environment Specialist as part of a Panel of Three International Experts for the Regional Rusumo Falls Multi-Purpose Hydro-power Project under NELSAP/NBI to advise the inter-states Project Implementation Technical Committee on the environmental compliance of the project with prevailing national, regional and international environmental provisions.
Public Consultation and Communication
Some large projects such as hydropower dams, power plants, mining projects, and large agricultural projects require public hearings as a condition of project approval. We work together with Developers to prepare presentations for Public Hearings. We know the issues commonly raised by the public and we have experience in how to respond and to package projects in a language understandable by the general public. For example, we successfully conducted the public hearing for the 230 MW Thermal Power Plant in Hoima and consequently, Albatross Energy (U) Limited was granted an electricity generation license by the Electricity Regulatory Authority.
HIV/AIDS and STI Prevention
Contractors are required to put in place measures to mitigate the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted Infections (STI) between his/her workers and the neighboring communities especially for infrastructural projects. JBN works together with Contractors and Developers to prepare workplace policies and programmes for employees living with HIV/AIDS, information and awareness campaigns and effective Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT). We also operate STI and HIV/AIDS clinics for the screening, diagnosis and counselling of STI and HIV/AIDS cases of staff and labour.
Gender Mainstreaming
Uganda’s National Gender Policy requires Developers and Contractors to undertake planning, resource allocation and implementation of development programmes with a gender perspective. We work with our Clients to prepare Gender Action Plans, conduct awareness raising meetings, gender sensitive awareness training, monitoring and reporting as per project requirements.
Resettlement Action Planning
Some projects especially infrastructural roads such as roads, power lines and hydropower dams require land uptake and subsequently the need for land acquisition and resettlement of people. We prepare Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) to address the social issues associated with land acquisition, livelihoods and resettlement (physical as well as economic) to ensure that the population to be expropriated and displaced by development projects is formally consulted and adequately compensated and treated. We also work with our Clients to establish grievance redress mechanisms to handle grievances that may arise from members of the communities who are dissatisfied with the eligibility criteria, community planning measures, or actual implementation of the resettlement.