ADDIS ABABA — Uganda, the current chair of the Nile Council of Ministers, is seeking to convene a summit of Nile riparian countries and members of the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) this June.
The summit is expected to address lingering differences over the implementation of the agreement, according to Ugandan Foreign Minister General Odongo Jeje Abubakhar.
In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald, Minister Odongo revealed that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is actively working to organize the summit, aimed at fostering consensus among all Nile Basin states--both signatories and non-signatories of the CFA.
"We are seeking to meet with all riparian countries, including those who have not yet joined the CFA," he said. "It is possible to convince them to join. All riparian countries need to move forward together."
The minister expressed optimism that all Nile Basin states will participate in the upcoming summit. Currently, six countries have signed the CFA, which meets the minimum threshold for the agreement to come into effect. "The agreement is already effective since the minimum requirement of six signatories has been fulfilled," he noted.
Odongo emphasized that continued reliance on outdated colonial-era agreements--such as the 1929 treaty signed between Egypt and the British colonial administration--is no longer viable. "Countries like Sudan, Uganda, and others were not independent when those agreements were signed," he stated. "Now that all riparian countries are sovereign, it is essential to find new, equitable solutions for managing and sharing the Nile's resources, which is exactly what the CFA proposes."
Ethiopia's Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos (PhD) also weighed in, urging Uganda to leverage its current leadership role in the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) to push for the establishment of a Nile Basin Commission--a critical institution for fair and effective water governance across the region.
The upcoming NBI meeting, scheduled for June 2025, is expected to focus on advancing Nile water management and encouraging more countries to formally join the CFA, bolstering cooperation among the Nile Basin states.
