Ethiopia Hails Egypt’s Rapprochement with CFA

FekaduWubete

Tripartite national committee (TNC) of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt are anticipated to meet inthis mid of August, 2016 to sign an agreement and officially employ two consultant firms selected to undertake study on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam(GERD). This multi-billion dollar and locally funded project, being constructed on Blue Nile of Ethiopia (close to Guba town of Benishangul Gumuz State) has initiated the coming in to being of TNC and declaration principle(DoP).

The capital of Sudan, Khartoum, is expected to host the meeting of water and foreign ministers of the three countries, according to Ethiopia and Sudan TNC chairs. Countries had earlier selected the French BRL Ingenierie and Artelia that replaced the Dutch firm, Deltares when the company withdrew itself 11 months ago.

According to TNC sources, the two companies had submitted their technical proposals to undertake the study which focuses on hydrology simulation model and assessing the socio-economic impacts of the project (Deltares is said to have similar experience of studying projects in Egypt, while companies that formed Artelia had participated in studying Ghibe and Awash projects in Ethiopia).

The general principles contained in the DoP are similar to that of the CFA. Particularly, it is interesting to note that the three countries agreed to take all appropriate measures to prevent the causing of significant harm in utilizing Nile and to cooperate based on common understanding, mutual benefit and win-win principles of international law.

The Declaration Principle has also enshrined principles specifically tailored to the purpose of assessment of the GERD. The three states have agreed to cooperate in the implementation of outcomes of joint studies on the Project. Specifically, they agreed on guidelines and rules for filling and annual operation of GERD, and to inform downstream States of any unforeseen or urgent circumstances. Priority is also given to downstream states to purchase power generated by GERD.

Similarly, Nile Council of Ministers (NILE-COM), an executive arm of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), had received Egypt’s request last week while it was conducting the 24th annual meeting in Uganda, Kampala. During that meeting, an Egyptian Water Resources and Irrigation Minister, Mohammed Abdel Ati had revealed his country’s interest to continue its participation in the Initiative.        

Ethiopia had said it has hailed Egypt’s rapprochement with NBI.Earlier Egypt withdrew from the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) in 2010 objecting it deemed to abrogate the colonial treaties on the Nile River, which was designed by horse-trading British colonialists in a high-handed and heavy-handed manner.

Egyptian Minister stated on the meeting that his country  would like to seize the current opportunity to reaffirm its sincere interest to continue and build upon what it started in 1999.He said his country wants to defy all disagreements, all the challenges and misunderstandings that may put leaders at logger heads and hinder regional cooperation. The Nile-Com has appreciated Egypt’s interest to return and engage in cooperation with all countries of the basin, but awaited the decision to have more discussion, according to an Ethiopian official close to the issue.

Ethiopian Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, MotumaMekassa, said that nation had been calling all Nile riparian countries to join NBI and strive to common goals of development and regional integration.Accordingly, he said, nation had commended on Egypt’s current move to reinstate its position and participation in NBI.

Executive Director of Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO),  FekahmedNegash stated that the Eastern Nile Sub-basin is the most important part of the Nile Basin by most criteria. Its area coverage of 1.7 millionsq.km (60 percent of the Nile), population size of 240 million (54 percent), contribution to the Nile water resources (86 percent), and the fact that most of the existing and planned development projects exist in this region, makes it most important.

According to him, almost unanimously, the experts and officials at the Entebbe meeting stressed the fact that cooperation among various players and sectors is not an option but an imperative. They said cooperation and organized management is essential to use of freshwater resources at local, national, regional and international levels.

He said, after the announcement of the construction of the GERD in 2011, Egypt and Sudan have been in disagreement with Ethiopia regarding the project. Ethiopia is confident that the construction of the dam would not harm Egypt and Sudan. But Egypt has been skeptical and wants the whole project revised; countless negotiations had taken place to resolve disagreements ever since the announcement of construction of the GERD.

Discussants stressed that the concept of water cooperation entails working together towards a common goal, in a way that is mutually beneficial. Cooperation is necessary to address water allocation decisions, upstream and downstream impacts of water abstraction and water pollution, infrastructure development, over-exploitation, and financing of water management, he said.

Fekahmed argued that flimsy efforts concerning the Nile Basin cooperation started in earnest in 1967 with Hydromet Survey which focused on Lake Victoria, Kyoga and Albert with the participation of Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, Zaire, Burundi and DRC. Afterwards, the UNDUGU Group, TECCONILE (Technical Cooperation for the Promotion and Environmental Protection of the Nile Basin) came in to being.

However, until the NBI came into existence, such attempts often focused on non-water issues.Critical roadblocks to comprehensive basin wide cooperation (like water allocationthat need for legal framework and common institution building)were not tackled. The NBI is a transitional institutional arrangement which started operating in 1999. All basin countries with the exception of Eritrea are members. Its vision is to achieve sustainable socio-economic development through equitable utilization of Nile and benefit from it.

According to him,some of the projects of the NBI which are being implemented at a basin level include the Nile Basin Regional Power Trade; Water Resource Planning and Management; Confidence Building and Stakeholder Involvement; and institutional Strengthening Project. There should be binding cooperation frame work despite sustained differences. As to him,Nile Basin cooperation has environmental benefit to the river, socio economic benefit from the river, political benefit due to the river, and catalytic benefits beyond the river.

It is to be reminisced that Egypt had halted its participation in the NBI when many of riparian countries had adopted the CFA replacing decades-old colonial pact that gave Egypt and Sudan use rights over more than 90 percent of the Nile's waters. Particularly, Article 14 (b) of the CFA, that stipulated an equitable sharing of the Nile water is the main cause for Egypt to withdraw its participation the intergovernmental initiative.

The CFA seems to be the main reason for Egypt to withdraw herself from working with the upper stream countries, particularly its main architecture, Ethiopia. The CFA is yet to be a binding agreement. It is signed by 6 states (Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Burundi). But it is only ratified by three states (Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania). It needs ratification bysix states before enforcement.

Similarly, Confident with her assessment that the Dam will not result in significant harm, Ethiopia agreed to study its possible impact together with Egypt and Sudan. As a result, on September 2011, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia agreed to establish international panel of experts (IPoE) to study the possible impacts of the GERD.

Unlike Ethiopia, there has never been any single country in the Nile basin that has ever invited riparian countries to study the impacts of its dam on riparian countries.  This definitely has never been the experience of Egypt, at least as regards Ethiopia! If Ethiopia had chosen to follow historical precedents and the example Egypt had set for others, there would never have been any consultations on the GERD from the start.
Moreover, GERD is a practical way of win-win development undertaking contributing to overcoming centuries of mistrust among Nile Basin countries. GERD will pioneer a new era of cooperative regional development and improved water management and increasing the collective resiliency of Nile Basin nations to the anticipated Climate Change impact threatening the basin.

It is known that rational and judicious Egyptian politicians, academicians and the population in general do not hold grudge against Ethiopia developing its hydropower potential. They do not wish Ethiopia to be a by word for famine and starvation while nation is dubbed as the water tower of east Africa. They have no objection to Ethiopia generating hydropower to transform its economy, create wealth and improve the livelihood of its people.

Currently, new era of cooperation, transparency, responsibility and equitable use of Nile has dawned following commencement of construction of the GERD. The current rapprochement of Egypt towards CFA is encouraging. And Egyptis expected to be more cooperative and forth coming towards CFA( and the GERD)negotiations. Furthering cooperation and equitable use of Nile water, one way or another, would benefit Egypt and other riparian countries.