Namibia is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa and the country's water resources are extremely fragile. The problems associated with the resource base are compounded by the inheritance of a water management regime designed in the pre-independence era to serve the political, economic and social priorities of those then in power, and underpinned by a Water Law suited to a water-rich environment. In view of these circumstances, the need for a new policy framework for water resources management in Namibia has been recognised at the highest levels of government since Independence in 1990.