Addis Ababa: The recent South Sudan’s ratification of the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) is “a big achievement for the Nile Basin,’ Water expert Fekahmed Negash said.
The Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) outlines rights and obligations for the development of the Nile Basin water resources, promotes the equitable and reasonable utilization of the River.
But at least six countries should ratify the framework to establish the Nile Basin Commission and bring it into full force.
South Sudan has become the latest country to ratify the CFA, following Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Burundi.
Speaking to ENA, Fekahmed said this latest ratification is a very big achievement that provides the Basin in countries to have legal basis for the utilization of water they are going to make in the future.
‘This is a very big achievement for the Nile Basin. It is a very big achievement for Ethiopia. It was incumbent upon all of us to nurture and to work hard to realize this agreement
for the benefit of the people in the basin.’
According to him, the ratification will also create favorable environment for countries to come together and cooperate around the conservation, protection as well as development of the water resources in the basin.
Comparing the two agreements on the Nile, the expert said the first is a colonial relic while CFA as a negotiated agreement by all of basin countries.
It follows all international norms and procedures, actually included all principles, as well as accepted international laws, he added.
Fekahmed noted that the CFA will have a higher level of acceptance at the international level that provides a very good basis, particularly for the signatories to utilize water resources in an equitable and reasonable manner in the future.
‘Everybody and all of us should be aware of the fact that the existing agreement is a colonial relic. They denied the existence of upstream countries, particularly Ethiopia, as a sovereign nation.’
The functioning and operationaliza
tion of CFA can therefore contribute to actually the demise of the colonial relic, he noted, stressing that it is very important that the Nile Basin countries work very hard to make sure that the agreement comes into force.
‘Once the agreement came into force, the Nile Basin Initiative will be acceded to by the Nile Basin Commission, which will inherit all mandates, capacities and assets of the Nile Basin Initiative.’
Speaking on the role of Ethiopia, the expert said that the role of Ethiopia at a technical, ministerial, political, and even at the highest decision-making levels to ensure that all countries ratified the CFA was very high.
Ethiopia was not only the first country which signed and ratified the agreement but also encouraged and supported upstream countries, including some countries like South Sudan diplomatically, technically to ratify the CFA, he recalled.
Now, it is also incumbent upon Ethiopia to leave the remaining steps to realize the establishment of the commission and its implementation
of the agreement, Fekahmed said.
Moreover, it is important to encourage the remaining countries to sign and ratify the agreement.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency