Nile Basin countries call for all-inclusive cooperation

November 1, 2013 (KIGALI) – A dialogue of Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) countries and its primary donors has advocated for renewed commitment to invest in an all-inclusive Nile cooperation and sustain the gains so far made.

The two-day dialogue, held in the Rwandan capital, Kigali was chaired by Jemma Nunu Kumba, South Sudan’s minister for electricity, water and irrigation.

“While the NBI has achieved a lot in the last 14 years, a lot still needs to be done to realize the shared vision,” said Kumba, who is currently the chairperson of the Nile council of ministers.

During the gathering, member states reportedly re-affirmed their commitment to and ownership of the Nile cooperative process and the sustainability of the NBI institutions.

“They [NBI countries] called on development partners to continue their unwavering support towards achieving the member states’ development agenda”, partly reads a statement to Sudan Tribune.

Development partners pledged to work with NBI to enhance the institutional and financial mechanisms necessary to deepen the Nile cooperative process, it further stressed.

During the dialogue, which was attended by members of the Nile Technical Advisory Committee (Nile-TAC) representing the 10 NBI member states and representatives of NBI’s development partners, attendees reportedly underscored the importance of realizing benefits of Nile cooperation, including investment projects.

A transitional, 10-member intergovernmental partnership institution launched in February 1999, NBI provides the only all-inclusive regional platform for multi stakeholder dialogue, for sharing information, joint planning and management of water and related resources in the Nile Basin.

Member states of NBI include Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Sudan and Tanzania, while Eritrea remains an observer.

(ST)