Harnessing the Potential of the World's Longest River
A Shared Vision
Following the African Lead
Promoting Peace and Dialogue

Harnessing the Potential of the World's Longest River

For people living in the Nile Basin, the river is their life. This 6,825 km waterway, whose watershed covers three million square kilometres, courses through mountains, tropical forests, woodlands, lakes, savannahs, wetlands and deserts. Its potential for hydroelectricity, fishing, tourism, shipping, and irrigation is enormous—but so are its challenges.

Water scarcity, already critical in Egypt and the Sudan, will soon affect several other countries in the watershed as well. Today, about 160 million people depend on the Nile River for their livelihood. Within the next 25 years, the region's population is expected to double, adding to the demand generated by growth in industry and agriculture, and the constant threat of drought adds to the urgency of the problem.

Shifting sands bury a village in Sudan. The Nile Basin Initiative will address land conservation problems in the watershed, including desertification.

Water quality is also an issue. Erosion causes precious soil to wash out to sea, chemical run-off from industry and agriculture creates pollution, higher concentrations of salt affect irrigated soils, and water-borne diseases, like bilharzia, and diarrhea continue unchecked. In the tropical areas, water hyacinths choke off lakes, dams and other sections of the river, hindering fishing and navigation.

These are whole ecosystem problems, calling for joint solutions. Half the Nile Basin's countries are among the world's very poorest nations; yet, somehow, they must find the resources, skills and political will to overcome these challenges without descending into the conflict and controversy of the past.

A Shared Vision

At a meeting in Tanzania in February 1999, the countries of the Nile River Basin took a giant step toward this goal. They decided to put aside generations of conflict over their shared natural resource, and began to explore common problems and opportunities. That decision by Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and, later, Eritrea, launched the NBI. This unique, African-led program unites all 10 countries in a shared vision to better manage their common water resources in order to fight poverty.
For the people who depend on the Nile, the river provides the only route out of poverty.

The international community is rallying around the participating countries to support the initiative. In June 2001, donors—including Canada—pledged about $170 million to help develop a strategic action program. The program focuses on the sustainable development of the river, addressing issues such as staple crops, herding, fishing, food processing and soil quality, as well as trade in goods, hydroelectric energy and other services.

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Following the African Lead

The NBI is conceived, developed and led by Africans. It reflects the priorities that African countries set out for themselves in their New Partnership for Africa's Development, released in 2001 to wide-ranging international support. It also reflects CIDA's approach to development in Africa, which focuses on coordinating donors around African-led initiatives, favouring regional programs, and strengthening African capacity to meet African-defined challenges.

Conserving fish stocks in the Nile River is an important issue.

As an initial “cooperating partner” of the NBI, CIDA's role, along with the World Bank and the UN Development Program, was to help get people talking. In 1992, CIDA began financing a series of conferences for technical experts and governments in the 10 countries along the river—a process that greatly facilitated the launch of the initiative.

CIDA continues to be actively involved. For example, in collaboration with the Global Environmental Facility, the Agency is providing $16.6 million to the Nile Transboundary Environmental Action Project. Through a trust fund set up at the World Bank, CIDA will support pilot conservation projects and help community organizations, especially women's, youth and environmental groups, to work with governments in managing natural resources. An additional $10.0 million is to support initiatives involving Confidence Building and Stakeholder Involvement and feasibility studies on power sector initiative located in the Nile Equatorial Lakes Region of the Nile Basin.

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Promoting Peace and Dialogue

The Sudanese farmer struggling against the advancing desert does not want to move. “We need help to find a solution for this,” he says, pointing to the sands blowing at his door. Until now, he had few options. But conservation projects like tree planting, restoration of vegetation cover, and improvements to irrigation and water management will provide him with those solutions. And by providing tools and knowledge to the communities themselves, the NBI is making sure those solutions will be sustainable.