Addis Ababa, September 7, 2022 (FBC) – During the Nile basin countries’ cooperation conference held in Addis Ababa from September 5-7, representatives from Riparian countries reaffirm cooperation between basin countries regarding equitable and reasonable use of Nile water resources.
In his elaborated presentation entitled, “Equitable and Reasonable Use of the Nile and GERD Negotiations for a Collective Gain,” Engineer Gedion Asfaw, Chair of the GERD Technical Negotiating Team and Advisor on Transboundary Waters, briefed the participants about stage-based filling of the GERD and cooperation during the filling, benefits of the GERD, and drivers of cooperation.
Gedion, citing the key benefits of the GERD and drivers of cooperation, listed four important points. He said the key benefits and drivers of cooperation between the basin countries include energy generation for the region, regional power market, water storage and conservation; and national capacity.
In his presentation, Mohamoud Zainelabdin, a participant from Sudan, among other things, stated the importance of having mutual understanding between basin countries and the expediting ratification of the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) by all basin countries for the mutual benefit of the countries.
Osman Hamad Eltom (PhD), former Irrigation Minister of Sudan, presented a wide range of cooperation areas between and among regional basin countries. He said, between Sudan and Ethiopia, there is a list of win-win cooperation areas including culture, border trade, on-going Ministerial Committee cooperation, and climate challenges that can be an area of mutual partnership.
In a similar manner, the basin-wide countries have numerous areas of possible cooperation, including the equitable and reasonable utilization of the Nile water resources.
Professor Yilma Sileshi from Addis Ababa University, in his presentation, among others, elucidated cooperation based on a comprehensive water treaty in the transboundary river basin.