Mr. Augustin NGENZIRABONA addressing the council of ministers of the Nile basin initiative on October 14, 2023
Burundi announced ratifying the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) during the 26th Nile Equatorial Lakes (NEL) and Nile Basin (Nile) Council of Ministers (CoM) meeting held on 14th October 2023 in Munyonyo Uganda. This makes the country the 5th Nile Basin Country to ratify the treaty once the process is completed.
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Mr. Augustin NGENZIRABONA, Director General of the Geographic Institute of Burundi and National UNFCCC Focal Point delivered a speech on behalf of H.E. Eng. Prosper Dodiko Burundi Minister for Environment, Agriculture and Livestock who is the country’s representative to the Council of Ministers (CoM).
He took the opportunity to bring attention to the adoption by the National Assembly of Burundi, dated August 23, 2023, of the Draft Law on Ratification by the Republic of BURUNDI of the Framework Cooperation Agreement in the Basin. Nile River.
He also said that the Nile Basin Initiative is a favorable space, privileged to strengthen trust, the capacity for cooperation on the Nile, the common vision, and respond to sustainable development needs through investments.
One of the major challenges facing the basin is the ever-increasing demographics, creating an imbalance between supply and demand in all areas of life like water needs, natural resources, and food imbalance among others. This results in environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, low productivity, climate disruption, repetitive floods, prolonged drought, landslides, increased disease risks, and loss of human life.
“My hope is that this meeting will be an opportunity to analyze the issues of progress or the weaknesses inflicted in the history of cooperation within the Nile Basin, to note the degree of achievement of the objectives that we had set for ourselves through the Programs. Shared Vision and Subsidiary Actions. I am convinced that progress in cooperation has been achieved,” he said
According to Didoko these strategic water resources assessment/decision-making policy documents; the Nile Basin management plan investment program; the preparation and celebration of Nile Day; the recommendations resulting from the ordinary meeting of the NEL and Nile-COM, at the appropriate time and will serve as a basis for commitment to development projects which are feasible within the Basin and whose results are visible and visitable on the ground.
He admitted saying there is still a long way to go and his wish is to work in synergy to succeed in the philosophy of “One river, one people, one vision”, the process of cooperation moves forward, and together we will transcend the difficulties.
He ended his remarks by thanking the development partners for their continued support of the Nile Basin Initiative and the implementation of the various programs and projects in the Nile Basin.
Burundi’s Director of General Environment, Water Resources and Sanitation under the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock Mr. Christian NIMUBONA explained why Burundi thought of ratifying the CFA, “The CFA was signed by the Minister in charge of Water at that time in 2011, it’s a project that has been pending since that time.”
“It’s a project that benefits the country as well as other member countries because it allows the community or the countries to speak one language. So it will help us to be stronger, and do more projects and even mobilize funds that will benefit the populations of our respective countries” he said
“It will also require other countries to ratify the CFA as it has to be at least six countries out of the ten. The action Burundi undertook was the adoption by the Parliament and the Senate as well of the bill ratifying the CFA and the following step would be the deposit of the tool at the African Union, “he added
Ministers responsible for water affairs of the Nile basin states have called on countries that are yet to sign and ratify the CFA on the Nile to do so to enable the transition to the Nile River Basin Commission (NRBC) a body with a full legal mandate to facilitate cooperation among the Nile Basin States in conservation, management, and development of the Nile River Basin and its waters.
History of the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement CFA
The CFA of the Nile River Basin outlines principles, rights, and obligations for cooperative management and development of the Nile Basin water resources. Rather than quantifying ‘equitable rights’ or water use allocations, the treaty intends to establish a framework to promote integrated management, sustainable development, and harmonious utilization of the water resources of the Nile Basin, as well as their conservation and protection for the benefit of present and future generations.
The CFA envisions the formation of a commission called the Nile River Basin Commission (NRBC) that will promote and facilitate the implementation of the CFA and facilitate cooperation among the Nile Basin States in the conservation, management, and development of the Nile River Basin and its waters.
Evolution of the CFA treaty – negotiation process
The text of the CFA was developed over more than a decade of intensive work by a Panel of Experts, a Transitional Committee, a Negotiations Committee, and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) members. A draft CFA text was submitted to the Council of Ministers of Water Affairs of the Nile States (CoM) in March 2006. The CoM members completed their negotiations of the CFA on June 25, 2007, with all but one reservation lifted (Article 14b). The final decision by the CoM was to refer the said reservation to their Heads of State summit for resolution.
