Manawa Peter Gatkuoth, the Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources speaking during the opening remarks at the Nile Basin Initiative 29th Annual Nile council of ministers meeting in Juba - courtesy

South Sudan’s Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources has called on the Nile Basin countries to work as a team to address the challenges facing the Nile water.

This came after the Nile Basin Initiative concluded its 29th Annual Nile council of ministers meeting in South Sudan.

The Nile Basin Initiative is a regional institution with 10 countries: Burundi, DRC Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

This is the second time the meeting has been held in the country since South Sudan gained its independence in 2011.

The first meeting was hosted in 2013.

The meeting was to deliberate on the good relationship among its members and come up with a strategic plan that will guide the countries along the Nile Basin.

Speaking during the opening remarks the Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Manawa Peter Gatkuoth called on the Nile Basin countries to work as a team to address the challenges facing the Nile water.

“Promoting and sustaining Nile appropriation is one of our important pillars and strategies. As we come together to deliberate on the Nile issues, I must underscore one of the challenges that we in the Nile basin are facing,” Manawa said.

“The issues of capacity shortage in the trans-boundary water resource management. Approaching this and the other challenges we face in the basin requires efforts from different state appropriations.”

The annual Nile council of ministers brought all representatives across the regions including countries like Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

South Sudan is a member state of the Nile Basin Initiative and the opening session of the Nile Council of Ministers will be attended by ministers for water affairs of the member states.