Perspectives / Opinions / News

CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt has reiterated its opposition to the construction of additional dams on the Nile in Ethiopia, with Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam stating that Egypt "will not allow" new upstream projects that could affect its water security. He called for a legally binding agreement governing the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), including provisions for data sharing and reservoir releases during drought periods. Ethiopia h

Abebe S. Gebregiorgis, PhD, P.E., CFM Recent remarks by Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Sewilam, stating that Egypt "will not allow" Ethiopia to construct additional dams on the Nile have once again highlighted the deep political divide surrounding the management of one of the world's most important transboundary rivers. While Egypt views such statements as necessary to safeguard its water security, they raise an important legal and diplomatic questi

A Call for an Addis Ababa Action Plan By: Semu Ayalew Moges, PhD, P.E. Senior Hydrologist and Hydraulic Engineer Introduction: A Critical Agenda for COP 32 As the international community prepares for COP 32 in Addis Ababa in 2027, WaterLinesAfrica calls on delegates to confront a persistent but insufficiently addressed climate vulnerability: millions of rural Africans still lack access to timely, trusted and locally actionable weather and climate information. For generations,

July 2026 - The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has warned that a strengthening El Niño could trigger severe flooding, disease outbreaks, and humanitarian emergencies across East Africa, particularly in Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Communities already recovering from drought, displacement, and reduced humanitarian funding are considered especially vulnerable. In Somalia, heavy rainfall in the Ethiopian Highlands and local seasonal rains are expected to raise riv

More than 300 rivers cross international boundaries, supplying water, food, energy, and livelihoods to billions of people - and presenting some of the world's most complex governance challenges. My appreciation for this complexity began as a Research Associate at Texas A&M University, working on a hydrologic and hydraulic modeling assignment in the Rio Grande basin. What fascinated me most wasn't the engineering, but the governance system sustaining the river: a layered frame

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya has announced plans to accelerate water infrastructure development through the proposed National Infrastructure Fund (NIF), which will finance the construction of 50 mega dams and 200 medium-sized dams that have faced funding delays for decades. The initiative is expected to expand irrigation by an additional 2.5 million acres, improve access to clean water, and strengthen the country's food security. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said the new financ

July 2026 — Severe flooding triggered by torrential rains has claimed dozens of lives and displaced thousands across West Africa. In Ghana, the death toll has risen to 34, with nearly 90,000 people affected, while Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Benin, and Togo have also reported fatalities, widespread flooding, and damage to homes and infrastructure. Scientists say the disaster reflects a combination of intensifying rainfall associated with climate change, the seasonal West African

By Essayas Kaba Ayana, PhD, P.E. The renewed interest by U.S. President Donald Trump in mediating the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has once again drawn global attention to one of the world's most complex transboundary water challenges. International engagement can be valuable when it encourages dialogue, reduces tensions, and supports peaceful negotiations. However, any mediation effort that is perceived as favoring one country over another risks un

Editor's Opinion In the margins of the G7 meeting in Paris, the world’s cameras captured US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in deep discussion. Predictably, the Nile took center stage. Following the talks, the US president reiterated Cairo’s longstanding anxieties, signaling a united front to "bring Ethiopia into a binding agreement" that would legally obligate Addis Ababa to release a specific volume of Nile water - even during crippling dr

By: Abebe Sine Gebregiorgis, PhD, PE, CFM For over two decades, satellite imagery has captured a quiet revolution in one of the most arid places on Earth. Starting around early 2001, the barren, yellow landscapes of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula began to speckle with green. Fast forward to today, and large circular fields - signatures of center-pivot irrigation - now bloom across the desert where nothing grew for millennia. At first glance, this is a triumph of engineering: Egypt t

The Lake Chad Basin has secured €11.25 million in new funding from the European Union (€7 million) and Germany (€4.25 million) to strengthen water governance, climate resilience, and regional stability across one of Africa’s most vulnerable ecosystems. The initiative, known as the Lake Chad Water Management Action (LACHAWAMA), was launched in Bangui, Central African Republic. The program will support sustainable management of shared water resources, improve hydrological monit

Libya, Algeria, and Tunisia have signed the “Tripoli Declaration,” a new agreement aimed at ensuring the fair and sustainable management of the North-Western Sahara Aquifer System, one of the world's largest underground freshwater reserves. The aquifer contains an estimated 40 trillion cubic meters of non-renewable fossil water and spans all three countries. The agreement establishes a joint framework for monitoring groundwater levels, preventing pollution, and avoiding overe

By: Abebe Sine Gebregiorgis, PhD, PE, CFM For more than a decade, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been a source of both hope and friction along the Nile. Yet Egypt and Sudan have consistently insisted that discussions surrounding the dam must remain confined to the three riparian countries - Ethiopia, Sudan, and themselves - while rejecting calls to broaden talks to include other Nile Basin nations such as Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democ

JUBA, South Sudan — Governments of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) member states pledged to pursue good-faith dialogue on shared water challenges during Nile Day celebrations in Juba, emphasizing cooperation in managing the basin’s vital waters. Representatives from Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda highlighted the NBI’s role as a key platform for consultation to address rising water and food demands and the impacts of

By: Abebe Sine Gebregiorgis, PhD, PE, CFM On January 19, 2026, Egypt Independent published an article titled “Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Must Pay Compensation to Egypt and Sudan.” While the headline is striking, the article itself fails to present any verifiable scientific or hydrological evidence to substantiate such a claim. On the contrary, a more compelling argument can be made that Ethiopia has long been denied the right to utilize its own natural resources, con

ADDIS ABABA / JUBA / NAIROBI — WaterLines Africa has officially launched as an independent editorial platform focused exclusively on water, transboundary governance, and the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus across Africa. The platform aims to provide credible, evidence-based reporting and analysis on water policy, shared river basins, climate resilience, infrastructure development, and sustainable resource management. With a primary focus on East Africa and the Nile Basin, Water