Her Excellence Amb. Etsegenet Bezabih Yimenu paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Director of the NileBasin Initiative (NBI) Secretariat, Eng. Sylvester Anthony Matemu, in Entebbe Wakiso district to discuss accomplishments at the Secretariat as well as potential areas of future cooperation.
The Amb. said, the Ethiopian Gov’t recognizes the NBI & the Executive Director’s significant contribution to promoting cooperation in the Nile Basin based on fair & equitable use & partnership of common water resources & that the Gov’t is committed to strengthening its support in the future.
She said that upon completion, the dam will play a vital role in fostering regional economic integration. According to Amb. Etsegenet, the dam’s construction is going very well, and two turbines are now generating electricity.
GERD is a development project & Ethiopians aspire to see the dam generating electricity & meet their basic energy demands, Amb. Etsegenet said, stressing that the dam will be a significant input in changing the lives of women who toiled collecting firewood.
She also stated that Ethiopia rejects the Arab League statement on GERD, that “African solutions for African problems” must govern the dam’s file, and that the African Union must lead the tripartite negotiations.
The Executive welcomed the Amb. & emphasized that the visit of Ambassadors from all NBI member countries to the office reinforces & solidifies the office & Amb. Etsegenet’s visit is timely because it coincided with the review of their office’s mid-term performance evaluation.
He lauded Ethiopia for its strong support for Nile Basin Initiative and for being the first of the four members to sign the #CFA and pointed out that ratification of the #CFA is expected to boost cooperation among the member countries.
The two sides also discussed the current challenges of the Nile Basin Initiative and possible solutions incorporating areas for further cooperation. The current funding status of the member countries and issues related to external donors were among the other things discussed.
