Cooperative management of River Nile to promote regional development
Minister for Water and Environment Mr Sam Cheptoris (L) presents a gift to the outgoing NILECOM Chair, Mr Jumaa Hamidu Aweso on Saturday in Kampala. Photo | Paul Adude
The Minister of Water and Environment Mr Sam Cheptoris has said that cooperative management of the River Nile and its resources will steer development in the Nile Basin sharing countries.
“We pray that our national commitments and their support continue as we steadily move onto more investments on the ground so that the people in the basin states fully enjoy the benefits of cooperation,” he said.
Mr Cheptoris made the remarks on Saturday during the opening of the ongoing 31st annual Nile Council of ministers held in Kampala.
“Uganda attaches a lot of importance to the cooperation of the Nile that dates back to pre-colonial times. It is also our belief, as a country, that each of us as member states have inherent rights on the Nile and therefore the need for the cooperative management of this vital resource,” he said.
The Executive Director of Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) Mr Sylvester Matemu said there is a need to address the challenges facing the Nile Basin in order to meet the set NBI Sustainable development goals.
“The meeting is held at a time when Nile Basin is facing a lot of water-related challenges, including dwindling water sources, water pollution, pressures on ecosystems, and climate challenges. If the issues are not addressed, there is a high risk that these challenges will be worsened,” he said.
Mr Matemu said the NBI will continue to participate in commissioned projects and programs to support member state efforts to address the challenges.
However, the Egyptian Minister for Water Resources and Irrigation Mr Hani Sewilam said the country was still against the recently negotiated Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) on the Nile which was assented to by all other NBI member states over alleged division from the agreed decision-making procedure by consensus.
“I wish to reaffirm Egypt’s position as expressed in previous NILECOM meetings regarding the agenda, discussion and outcomes of the current NILECOM meetings. Regrettably despite the importance of the agenda items, we are unable to endorse the adoption of this meeting’s agenda and its outcomes,” he said.
