Project description

Title: Nile initiative on water
Commissioned by: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)
Country: Africa, transnational (located in Ethiopia)
Lead executing agency: Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), based in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
Overall term: January 2002 to December 2011

Context

Extending 6,700 km, the Nile is the longest river in the world. As the lifeline of the region, it is used by the basin states for irrigation, power generation and transport. The Nile is indispensable and of strategic importance for the economies of Sudan and Egypt, in particular. The interests of users on the lower and upper reaches are correspondingly large and conflicting. Issues of water distribution have led to political crises and conflicts among riparian states since time immemorial. The countries’ water resources policies reflect these contrary positions and strategies. It takes a long time to develop a common understanding on how the Nile can be managed for everyone to use together. The Nile Basin Initiative is an expression of this development. In 1999, 9 out of 10 riparians joined together in the initiative. The countries agreed on the Shared Vision Program (SVP), with the aim of conducting the management of the Nile together. Common activities, the exchange of ideas and experiences and a strong training component will form the basis of an enduring cooperation. Germany supports the water policy component of the SVP project ‘Planning and Management of Water Resources’.

Objective

Central to the project is the dialogue among Nile riparians on the connections between regional challenges and national water policies. The objective is to develop a mutual understanding about the requirements for national water policies arising from these interconnections, and to initiate corresponding processes of reform.

Approach

The regional dialogue shall be conducted on the basis of a detailed stock-taking exercise in each NBI member state, in which as many stakeholders are involved as possible. Workshops, discussion fora and also advanced training measures such as study trips form the framework. The outcomes will be compiled into a handbook which will serve as an orientation for the national level. Reform processes arising from the dialogue will be supported by consultants on short-term contracts in the individual countries. The specialised advisory body and link between the levels is a task force made up of one representative from each NBI member state. They bring the national interests into the regional discourse and, in return, communicate the outcomes of the regional level nationally.

In addition, the further development of the NBI information centre is planned to support coordination with other NBI projects.

Results achieved so far

In the long term, the water policies will be brought into line with each other in terms of regional visions, strategies and courses of action. But there is still a long way to go. Important milestones in the dialogue process are the building of trust, an intensive exchange of experiences and the first reform processes in the countries to adapt the water policies to the mutual requirements.

Further information

• Nile Basin Initiative (NBI)
  www.nilebasin.org