Dagnachew Teklu
9 August 2007
Addis Abeba — Parliamentarians from three Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) countries on Tuesday urged their respective governments to do more on utilizing the Nile water resources for the mutual benefits of the people.
The Parliamentarians also expressed the need for enhanced cooperation among the countries for the effective exploitation of the natural riches of the Nile river.
Parliamentarians from Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt that are in the Joint Multipurpose Program (JMP) of the Eastern Nile Investment Program (ENSAP) are holding their JMP regional parliamentary committee first exchange visit to Ethiopia.
ENSAP is a program, which the three countries implement to develop the water resources of the Eastern Nile Basin in a sustainable and equitable way.
Ambassador Mohammed Ali of Ethiopia, Salwa Bayoumi of Egypt and Elamin Dafa Alla of Sudan said there was a need to enhance the existing cooperation among the NBI countries and to invest more in research and ICT to better utilize water resources among the three countries.
They said the goal of the JMP was to generate transformation and sustainable socio-economic development benefits across sectors and countries including fostering of economic and regional integration, peace, security and stability in the Eastern Nile region.
"We need to have a common vision, open discussion and work closely to better utilize water resources. NBI is an important start to the region, but we need to move faster," the MPs jointly said.
.Minister Asefaw Dingamo, Minister of Water Resources, told the delegation that the cooperation of the three countries was more about the future than the present.
"Hence, maintaining a futures perspective will deepen our sense of responsibility and duty for our children, our grand and great grand children who will replace us, and like us who will also have to live together sharing the waters of the Nile,"Dingamo said.
The parliamentarians of the three countries were briefed by the NBI officials on progress to date on Nile, achivemnets, potentials and the way forward on Eastern Nile Investment Program (ENSAP) projects in general and the JMP in particular.
The parliamentarians will visit on Thursday Abay Gorge and surrounding watersheds and will hold similar visit to the Sudan on Saturday.
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