Egypt, Uganda agree to regularly consult on Nile to reach agreement for mutual benefit

CAIRO – 5 December 2024: Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty and Ugandan Minister of State for International Affairs Henry Okello signed a joint declaration on Wednesday to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields and regularly consult on Nile River waters.

The foreign ministers signed the declaration at the conclusion of the political consultations held between the two countries in Cairo in the presence of a high-level delegation from Uganda, led by Okello and Minister of Water and Environment Sam Cheptoris.

As part of the declaration, both countries agreed to regularly consult on the Nile River waters to reach an agreement for mutual benefit and cooperation in the Nile Basin according to international law and best practices.

The declaration aims at enhancing mutual interests of both countries as well as common African interests, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Egypt has pledged to support development projects in Uganda in accordance with Ugandan national priorities, as per the declaration, capitalizing on the successful model of the Owen Falls Dam and the aquatic weeds control project.

Okello, in a joint press conference with Abdelatty yesterday, commended relations between the two countries and said Uganda will not allow the Nile water supply to be cut off to downstream nations under any circumstances.

Hon. Sam Cheptoris, Minister of Water and Environment of the Republic of Uganda and Hon. Henry Okello Oryem, Minister of State for International Affairs of the Republic of Uganda led a High-Level Delegation to visit the Arab Republic of Egypt, from 3 to 5 December 2024. The… pic.twitter.com/POja4NgQes

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Uganda 🇺🇬 (@UgandaMFA) December 4, 2024

Uganda is one of the signatories of the Entebbe Agreement, a water pact that is believed to endanger the historic water shares of Egypt and Sudan and allow the execution of water projects without the consent of the downstream states.

Egypt and Sudan strongly reject the agreement, also known as the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), which was signed by several upstream countries in Uganda’s Entebbe in 2010.

In October, Egypt’s Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Hani Sewilam called on signatories to revisit their stances and resume talks on cooperation among Nile Basin countries in a way that does not cause harm to any of them.

DIVERSE COOPERATION

Back to the joint declaration, Egypt and Uganda agreed on enhancing bilateral collaboration in defense, security, law enforcement, peacebuilding, and counterterrorism. This includes the exchange of expertise and technical cooperation in water management and capacity building.

Both countries will also enhance cooperation programs and projects in infrastructure, irrigation, agriculture, livestock, petrochemicals, mining, construction, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and water management.

Egypt affirms its willingness to allocate further investments for the implementation of joint infrastructure projects in Uganda as well as regional development corridors, read the joint declaration.

They also agreed on encouraging the private sector in the two countries to boost trade and bilateral investments through the exchange of visits, business visits and investment offerings.

Egypt and Uganda will cooperate in pertinent regional and continental forums, including the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN).

The two countries will hold the second round of consultations in Kampala during the first quarter of 2025.