38 / 336
[
] 38
W
ater
D
iplomacy
building confidence, scientific knowledge, tools and
sustainable institutions.
NBI has spearheaded the preparation of a number of
water resources investment programmes that addressed
growing energy and food production needs, promoted
community-managed programmes, raised awareness
among riparian countries and provided the necessary
policy framework for sustainable transboundary water
resources management.
The Nile riparians have negotiated their Cooperative
Framework Agreement (CFA), for which ratification
has recently started. It is expected that the riparian states
will form the Nile Basin River Commission and advance
their cooperation. Three of the NBI countries have not
yet signed the CFA and, as a result, there is a potential
challenge in finding a common platform for signatory and
non-signatory states.
Most of the NBI programmes to date are financed
through grants from the international community. With
the planned closure of the Nile Basin Trust Fund in
2014, there is an urgent need for mobilizing funding to
maintain the momentum and sustain the gains made.
Diverse funding mechanisms such as grants, loans,
public-private partnerships and riparian contributions
need to be explored.
International practice shows that transboundary coop-
eration is a protracted process. In the context of the Nile
Basin, where the majority of upstream countries have
embarked on rapid economic growth, delays in imple-
menting water resources investments mean delays in
meeting the demands of growing economies and popu-
lations. This, in turn, can lead to an increasing number of
major water resources investment projects, such as dams
and power plants, planned and implemented unilaterally
by individual riparian states. There is an urgent need to
expedite the implementation of investment programmes
prepared by NBI through participation of the riparian
states, which will contribute to coordinated management
and ultimately to the sustainability of the Nile itself.
Judging by experience worldwide, the all-inclusive
Nile cooperation is still in its nascent stage. That is
to say, the gains made so far should not be taken as
irreversible. There is a need, therefore, for continued
nurturing and deepening the cooperation process in
order to consolidate the achievements of the Nile’s
basin-wide cooperation.
analysis, these efforts are expected to be scaled up across the Nile
Equatorial Lakes region, through promotion of an additional 6,000
MW of hydropower generation, linkages to the South African
Power Pool through interconnectors, and promotion of an esti-
mated development of 510,000 ha of irrigated agriculture by 2035.
Watershed management
NBI has been implementing a number of watershed management
projects through its subsidiary action programmes. The projects
involve local communities from inception to implementation. Key
intervention areas include the improvement and diversification of
productivity in rain-fed farming and the reversal of watershed degra-
dation. Integrated watershed management has resulted in reduced
loss of topsoil and increased crop yields at the farm level, while
better water quality, reduced silt load and an improved hydrologi-
cal regime will be witnessed at micro and macro catchment levels
further downstream.
Watershed management programmes have also been prepared in
the transboundary river basin management programmes of Mara,
Kagera and Sio-Malaba-Malakisi, focusing on soil and land manage-
ment, soil and water conservation, and the management of wetlands
of transboundary significance. Investment programmes have also
been prepared to restore the degraded Mau forest, a key catchment
for the Mara River. Early implementation of livelihood-based water-
shed management programmes in the Blue Nile basin in Ethiopia,
Sudan and Egypt has registered impressive results.
Expanding access to potable water
A number of projects contributed towards the promotion of sustain-
able and affordable access to safe water supply, sanitation and waste
management services for communities. Schemes designed and
constructed include Butihinda (Burundi), Nyagatare (Rwanda),
Katuna (Uganda), Bomet and Angurai (Kenya), Mella (Uganda)
and Karagwe (Burundi). The total population served by these water
supply systems is estimated at 100,000.
Fostering sustainable water resources management
A number of Nile Basin environmental assets are transboundary
or have transboundary significance and require cross-border coop-
eration for their management and sustainable use. NBI has been
providing this regional forum for member states, and has taken a
number of measures to address the threats posed to these assets.
The measures range from high-level policy formulation to
community-level awareness raising and the implementation of
community-managed environmental restoration projects. The NBI
Environment and Social Policy and Wetland Strategy have been
endorsed by the Nile Council of Ministers. These documents will
guide transboundary water resource development and management,
including investment planning and implementation.
As part of the environmental education activities, for example, NBI
promoted a Student Awards Competition through the public media
that contributed to raising awareness on the most critical Nile envi-
ronmental issues. Thousands of students in over 60 schools from all
member countries took part in the national and regional competition.
Sustaining gains and addressing emerging challenges
NBI has made considerable gains over the past decade. The
most important achievements to be singled out are the promo-
tion of riparian cooperation and mutuality over the Nile through
Lake Nasser-Nubia management project – Egypt
This transboundary project straddles Egypt and Sudan.
The project objective is to develop a Lake Nasser-Nubia
management framework and to establish a sediment
and water quality monitoring system. The cumulative
impacts of improved watershed management upstream,
both in Ethiopia and Sudan, will be reflected in reduced
sediment load on Lake Nasser-Nubia. The project has
been conducting a biannual bathymetric survey of the
lake to determine sediment levels, and has established
a data and information management system.