Nile Basin ministerial meeting on Vic-Med feasibility studies held in Cairo

CAIRO – 12 December 2022: The first ministerial meeting on the preparation of feasibility studies of the second phase of the Vic-Med Project, aimed at linking Lake Victoria with the Mediterranean through a maritime route, kicked off Monday.

The meeting comprises the transport ministers of Nile Basin countries, COMESA member states, and the AU Commission on Infrastructure and Energy Development.

Egypt's Minister Kamel al-Wazir stated at the press conference held prior to the meeting that the convention's goal is agreeing on precise steps to implement the project.  

The minister underlined that the planned maritime route, along with highways and railways, will be the backbone of regional transportation in the future.

Egypt also aims to revive the Cairo-Cape Town Road plan, which was proposed by Prime Minister of Cape Colony Cecil Rhodes in 1890s. The road would be extended on 10,300 kilometers, starting from Alexandria Port on the Mediterranean Sea then Cairo, Sudan, Southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia and finally South Africa.

In a similar context, Minister Wazir announced in November 2019 that Egypt is building a railway line of 6,000 km in length to connect Upper Egypt with Sudan to facilitate the movement of Egyptian exports to Sudan then to central Africa.

In April, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi urged relevant authorities to continue coordination with Sudanese authorities in an effort to improve river transportation between the two countries.

Sisi’s remarks were made as he held a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Transport Kamel El-Wazir. The meeting discussed the executive status of the projects carried out by the transport ministry, especially those related to river navigation.

During the meeting, Sisi was briefed on river linking plans between Egypt and Sudan by utilizing the navigational line between the ports of the High Dam and Wadi Halfa, which extends to around 500 kilometers and is suitable for river navigation throughout the year.

Sisi affirmed the importance of maximizing the trade exchange between the two countries through the development of the Nile Valley Authority for River Navigation and raising the efficiency of the loading and unloading berths along the navigational line.