Egypt stresses cooperation with Nile Basin countries, especially South Sudan

Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam during his meeting with his South Sudanese Counterpart Pal Mai Deng (Photo courtesy of the Ministry)

This came during Sewilam’s meeting with his South Sudanese counterpart Pal Mai Deng in Cairo on Tuesday. South Sudan currently holds the presidency of the African Ministers' Council on Water^[1] (AMCOW) and is hosting the 13th General Assembly of AMCOW. 

The meeting between Sewilam and Deng was part of a series of mutual visits at both the ministerial and technical levels to discuss the progress of joint water resources development projects^[2], read a ministry statement.

Sewilam shared insights into Egypt's efforts to support Nile Basin countries, including the construction of groundwater drinking water stations, with eight dedicated to meeting the needs of South Sudanese citizens.

He added that Egypt has constructed four rainwater harvesting dams to provide clean water for drinking, animal husbandry, and domestic use. The country is also working on clearing waterways of aquatic weeds to facilitate river navigation and reduce flood risks.

Sewilam emphasized Egypt's commitment to enhancing cooperation by offering training programmes to South Sudanese organized by the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development and other ministries and institutions, the statement added. 

The minister also discussed the international initiative Action on Water, Adaptation, and Resilience (AWARe)^[3], which aims to initiate practical projects and actions to adapt to the water sector's challenges.

​According to the ministerial statement, Sewilam stressed the importance of implementing tangible projects that address the negative effects of climate change in Africa and contribute to Water Vision 2030 and the sixth Sustainable Development Goal related to water.

Moreover, Sewilam announced the Pan African Centre for Water and Climate Adaptation will be launched in the near future. The centre will provide training to personnel from African countries in climate adaptation.

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References

1. ^{^}  the African Ministers' Council on Water (english.ahram.org.eg)
2. ^{^} progress of joint water resources development projects (english.ahram.org.eg)
3. ^{^} Action on Water, Adaptation, and Resilience (AWARe) (english.ahram.org.eg)