Egypt reaffirms water security as strategic imperative, champions Nile basin development

Egypt has reaffirmed that safeguarding the nation’s water security remains a foremost national priority,while calling for collaboration and shared prosperity with all Nile Basin states.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam underscored on August 14 that Egypt’s water interests and its neighbors’ development ambitions are compatible,provided the sanctity of international law governing transboundary rivers is upheld. They solemnly rejected unilateral actions in the Eastern Nile Basin—particularly Ethiopia’s handling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)—as breaches of legal principles,vowing to vigilantly monitor regional developments and employ all lawful avenues to defend Egypt’s vital resources.

At the heart of their dialogue lay a vision of regional solidarity,underpinned by pragmatic investment in southern Basin states. They unveiled a $100 million financing mechanism intended to propel infrastructure and development projects—spanning dams,solar-powered pumping stations,reservoirs,water labs,flood defenses,and more—in nations including South Sudan,Kenya,the DRC,Uganda,Sudan,and Tanzania.

Egypt further reinforced its role as a regional partner through capacity-building endeavors,having empowered over 1,650 professionals from 52 African countries via training programs,and by advancing high-level consultations through initiatives such as the Egyptian Nile Basin Development Initiative and the Agency for Partnership for Development.