Victoria and Nile waters could divide African countries

NAIROBI: Kenya is set to host the fourth Nile Basin Development Forum (NBIS) amid discontent among bordering countries over the use of Nile waters.

The forum, to be hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources is aimed at fostering co-operation in the development and common understanding of Nile resources.

In a statement sent to newsrooms, Eng Tefferra Beneye, NBIS executive director, said the forum is dedicated to building sustainable trans-boundary co-operation, focusing on challenges, lessons and prospects.

"The Nile holds tremendous opportunities for growth, but is at the same time facing ever-growing challenges and pressures. There is need for co-operation, continuous learning and sharing in order to ensure sustainable and equitable use of its waters by states and citizens," said Beneye.

He said the forum will also be used to launch two flagship papers titled, 'Nile Cooperation: Opportunities and Challenges' that discuss existing environmental opportunities within the basin.

But the forum comes at a time when negotiations on the use of Nile waters have hit a snag.

NBIS is currently struggling to convince the member states to adopt an agreement, which will ensure all the countries within the Nile Basin benefit from its resources, and prevent a looming war in the region.

"The challenges and threats, among others are by their very nature trans-boundary and hence require collective action among all the riparian countries," said Beneye.

Veto powers

A 1959 agreement on Nile waters gave Egypt and Sudan ultimate ownership of the Nile flow and veto powers over development activities initiated along the river, including generation of power and irrigation.

The agreement has since been downplayed by other Nile Basin countries, who argue that the agreement signed between Egypt and Britain did not accomodate the interests of the Nile's upstream countries.

Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and Eritrea claim they have a right to reap from the resource as it traverses their territories.

Egypt pulled out of the negotiations after it unsuccessfully petitioned a section of the new agreement, which gives other countries leeway to initiate development activities along the Nile, but avoid significant effects on the Nile flow.

But according to NBIS, efforts are still on to bring Egypt back to the table.