Egypt Daily News – The Minister of Irrigation said that the state is making major efforts to bridge the gap between water resources and needs by implementing large-scale projects for agricultural drainage water treatment and developing irrigation systems and water management.
Egypt is keen on strengthening cooperation with African countries, particularly Nile Basin countries, by supporting developmental and water-related projects.
Egypt has launched a financing mechanism to study and implement development and infrastructure projects in the Southern Nile Basin countries.
Egypt has shown a genuine political commitment to reaching a legally binding agreement regarding the Ethiopian dam.
There is a firm rejection of Ethiopia’s continued policy of imposing a fait accompli through unilateral actions related to the Nile River.
Ethiopia’s evasive and regressive positions and its imposition of unilateral decisions contradict its declared willingness to negotiate.
Egypt categorically rejects any attempts for development in Ethiopia to come at the expense of the rights of the downstream countries.
Dr. Hani Sewilam, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, met with a number of ambassadors assigned to head Egyptian diplomatic missions abroad, with the participation of Dr. Badr Abdel Aaty, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Migration.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his appreciation for the cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Egyptians Abroad, and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, especially considering the overlap of responsibilities in the water file connected to national security, and in cooperation with international partners in addressing water scarcity, capacity building, and technology transfer.
In his speech, Dr. Sewilam emphasized Egypt’s keenness to strengthen cooperation with African countries, particularly the Nile Basin countries, through supporting developmental and water-related projects. He pointed to the financing mechanism launched by Egypt with allocated funds to study and implement development and infrastructure projects in Southern Nile Basin countries.
Dr. Sewilam reviewed the state’s efforts to bridge the gap between water resources and needs by implementing major projects to treat agricultural drainage water (New Delta, Bahr El-Baqar, Al-Mahsama), developing irrigation systems and water management, and other measures that help ensure water availability for all beneficiaries and build the necessary resilience to face climate change.
He also highlighted Egypt’s contributions to its African brothers through projects such as cleaning waterways, rainwater harvesting dams, solar-powered wells, rain prediction and water quality monitoring centers, along with training and scholarships through the “African Water and Climate Adaptation Center” and the “Hydraulic Research Institute”, as well as scholarships for study in Egyptian universities.
Sewilam affirmed that Egypt has significant expertise in water management, which it is keen to share with its African sister countries, particularly the Nile Basin countries, which enjoy abundant water resources. The volume of rainfall on the Nile Basin amounts to about 1,600 billion cubic meters annually, while rainfall on Nile Basin countries both within and outside the basin, reaches about 7,000 billion cubic meters annually. Egypt’s share, however, is only 55.5 billion cubic meters.
Developments on the Ethiopian Dam
Dr. Sewilam also addressed the developments in the Ethiopian dam issue, the path of tripartite negotiations, and the major points of contention. He highlighted Egypt’s sincere political commitment to reaching a legally binding agreement that serves mutual interests and prevents harm to the downstream countries. However, these efforts have been met with a lack of political will from the Ethiopian side.
He strongly rejected Ethiopia’s continued policy of imposing a fait accompli through unilateral measures concerning the Nile River, which is an international shared water resource. This constitutes a clear violation of international law, particularly the rules on equitable and reasonable use of international watercourses and the obligation not to cause significant harm.
He also clarified that the Ethiopian side has consistently promoted the completion of the dam which is illegitimate and contrary to international law, despite the absence of a binding agreement with the downstream countries, and despite the substantial reservations expressed by both Egypt and Sudan. This reflects an Ethiopian approach based on attempts to impose water hegemony rather than adopting the principles of partnership and cooperation something Egypt will not allow.
In this context, Dr. Sewilam stated that the repeated calls from the Ethiopian side to resume negotiations are merely symbolic and intended to improve Ethiopia’s international image by portraying it as a willing negotiator. However, the practical reality and a negotiation track that has lasted more than thirteen years without a binding legal agreement clearly demonstrate the lack of political will on Ethiopia’s part. These calls lack credibility and seriousness, as there are no indicators of genuine intent to turn words into clear commitments or tangible actions on the ground.
He emphasized that Ethiopia’s evasive, regressive positions and its imposition of unilateral decisions contradict its stated willingness to negotiate a reality the international community must acknowledge.
Dr. Sewilam stressed Egypt’s firm rejection of any attempts to allow development in Ethiopia to come at the expense of the rights of the downstream countries.
At the international level, the Minister of Irrigation presented Egypt’s efforts to elevate the status of water on the climate action agenda, especially through the AWARe initiative launched by Egypt to support developing countries and provide funding for projects that adapt to climate change.
