Egypt committed to ‘win-win solution’ to Nile water differences – minister

JUBA — The Egyptian Minister for Irrigation and Water, Mohammed Abdel-Atti said on Friday that his country is ready to negotiate in good faith toward a “win-win solution” on historic waterways sustainable management.

“Egypt is committed to cooperating with all countries to achieve a win-win solution to all differences that could separate us,” Mohammed said during the ongoing Nile Ministers meeting on Friday in Juba.

Mohammed called on Nile Basin Initiate to play a crucial role in achieving cooperation among African countries in the field of share of water management.

“It is an opportunity to narrow whatever gap that may arise in our bilateral relations and contribute to removing all kinds of barriers,” he said.

“Egypt equally intends to resume what it initiated in 1999 to enhance contact among countries and put aside all misunderstanding that may hinder regional cooperation,” he added.

The Ethiopian Water and Energy Minister, Habtamu Itefa, said the large proportion of the population living in Ethiopia has no electricity.

“The coverage of electricity in Ethiopia is less than 15 percent in both urban and rural areas while we have ample opportunity of water resources which can be utilized to generate electricity,” Itefa said on Friday in Juba at the Nile-COM meeting.

He said Ethiopia is willing to preserve water as the future of Ethiopia and its neighbors are tied to Nile Water.

“Water is life and we should try to make water lives and sustain the life of water and future lives of all Ethiopian and our brothers in neighborhoods so that we can have the common goal of prosperity,” he said.