Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa is playing host to the 2nd Africa-Run High-Level Forum on Equitable and Reasonable Utilisation of Transboundary Watercourses in Africa.
Thursday’s summit is being held under the theme “Equitable and Reasonable Utilisation of Transboundary Watercourses: A Key to Africa’s Prosperity”.
The primary goal of the meeting is to ensure equitable and reasonable use of Nile River by using a platform that promotes the exchange of experiences and scientific research while upholding the significance of the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of trans-boundary water as the guiding principle in the development of trans-boundary watercourses.
Ministers of Foreign Affairs from riparian countries will participate in the forum and are expected to visit the progress of the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) at the end of the deliberations. Uganda is represented by Foreign Affairs Minister Jeje Odongo.
River Nile is the longest transboundary river in the world, with a main stem of 6695×103 m. This river basin is shared among 11 countries: Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt.