Benefit-Sharing Framework in the Nile River Basin

Abstract

The Nile River is the longest river in the world with eleven riparian countries. The lack of effective institutional mechanism to govern the Nile waters, coupled with increasing competition for scarce water resources, has the potential to generate regional conflicts and political turmoil. The intent of this article is to provide a perspective on cooperative development and equitable benefit-sharing mechanism to govern the Nile waters—as opposed to water sharing or water right—based on the experiences of successful, existing treaties and cooperative initiatives throughout the world. The proposed water governance framework reduces the risk of disputes and conflicts with significant implications in terms of promoting regional integration, cooperation, peace, security and sustainable development. The Nile basin riparian countries would need to change the status-quo of competition and mistrust and focus on nurturing cooperation and trust building to tip the balance from potential conflict to regional integration and sustainable development through basin-wide cooperative programs and initiatives in their pursuit to develop, manage and protect the scarce, shared water resources.