Neighbours seek to share the Nile

Water has been seen as a potential source of conflict

Water resource ministers from Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have been meeting to discuss projects for tapping the waters of the Nile.

In the era of globalisation, we cannot afford to work in isolation. We are bound... to work together for the benefit of our peoples

Ethiopian Water Minister Shiferaw Jarso

The Nile has been identified by analysts as a potential source of regional conflict over the next 25 years, as water becomes an increasingly scarce commodity.

The meeting, in Addis Ababa, was trying to work out a common position, which the Egyptian minister, Mahmud Abu-Zayd, said could serve as a springboard for developing the equitable utilisation of the Nile.

The Rive Nile is almost 7,000km long and, with its tributaries, flows though nine countries.

The combined population of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia is expected to rise rapidly in the next 50 years, putting further strain on an already limited resource.

'Everyone's benefit'

"In the era of globalisation, we cannot afford to work in isolation. We are bound by the dictates of the modern global economy and the hydrology of Nile River system to work together for the benefit of our peoples," said Ethiopian Water Minister Shiferaw Jarso.

It was announced at the meeting that a donors consortium will be convened in June in Geneva, where it is hoped international agencies and donor countries will commit themselves to the initiatives taken by the three countries meeting in Addis Ababa.