Journey of the Nile River Basin Toward a Permanent Institution

Year 2025, Volume: 1 Issue: 8, 21 - 31

Yusuf Ali Mohammed

Abstract

The success and shortcomings of transboundary watercourse cooperation are strongly allied with the existence and effectiveness of institutional arrangements. The case of the Nile River basin is not separate from this reality. Consequently, this article seeks to address the organizational structures of the basin while inquiring about its journey toward a permanent institution. Against this backdrop, the article reviews the ad-hoc organizational establishment of the basin, notably the Permanent Joint Technical Commission for Nile Water (PJTC), HydroMet, Undugu, the Technical Cooperation Committee of the Nile River Basin (TECCO-Nile), and the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI). While examining these initiatives, the article notes that although these ad-hoc structures were forced to cease operations due to several contributing factors, they laid fertile ground and provided institutional experiences for the NBI, which has been operating since 1999. While recalling that this NBI is meant to serve as the transitional organization pending a basin-wide legal and institutional framework, the article concludes that the entry into force of the Nile River Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) on 13 October 2024 will bring this transitional structure to an end; instead, the Nile River Basin Commission (Commission) will soon become the permanent institution of the basin.

Keywords

Nile River, Nile Basin Initiative, Nile River Basin Commission, Permanent Institution, Cooperative Framework Agreement

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