Remarks by Vincent Biruta, Minister of Environment

Opening of the 20^th Anniversary of the Nile Basin Initiative and 2019 Nile Day

Kigali Serena Hotel | 22 February 2019

• Honourable Members of the Nile Council of Ministers
• Honourable Vice-Mayor of the City of Kigali
• Honourable Members of Parliament
• Executive Director of Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat
• Members of the Diplomatic Corps
• Representatives of Development Partners
• Distinguished guests
• Ladies and gentlemen

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 20th Anniversary of the Nile Basin Initiative and 2019 Nile Day celebrations. We are indeed honoured to host this important gathering here in Kigali, and we extend a warm welcome to Rwanda for those who have joined us from abroad.

We have come together to celebrate shared cooperation on the Nile River over the last two decades. In marking this important anniversary of the Nile Basin Initiative, we are also celebrating our shared natural heritage and a source of livelihoods for so many people across the continent. This comes at the right time as we celebrate 2019 as the Year of the Nile Basin and strive to put water at the heart of regional transformation.

For thousands of years, the River Nile has been an important resource for the region. Today, its potential to spur development remains as strong as ever. We can take great pride in the work we have done together, through the Nile Basin Initiative and other projects, to unlock development and harness our natural resources for sustainable development.

While the Nile has sustained those living on and around the river, as well as fauna and flora, for time immemorial, the natural integrity of the river basin has been under increasing pressure. 

This pressure, much of which comes from a growing population, can no longer be managed with a business as usual approach. The challenges are shared by all who depend on the Nile, and therefore require regional intervention.

Proper and coordinated management of the Nile Basin will support our efforts to eradicate poverty, reverse environmental degradation, and expand socio-economic opportunities for everyone living in the region.

To date, these efforts have yielded positive results, but we must move to the next level and turn our attention to wealth creation through innovation and value addition in integrated water resources management. Doing so will enable us to build the sustainable and prosperous future we want.

Realising the potential of the Nile Basin can only be achieved if we address current and future threats. Climate change is one such risk that is already impacting the region and will continue to do so well into the future. Every sector of our society is affected with climate sensitive ecosystems and economies most at risk.

The science tells us that the average temperature in many of our countries will rise by between three to four degrees Celsius by the end of the century, and perhaps sooner, unless we reduce emissions and fully implement the Paris Agreement. This knowledge gives us a head-start to adapt to a new reality, and we have no time to lose.

The Nile Basin Initiative will have an important role to play in supporting countries to devise adaptation and mitigation initiatives and integrate these into long-term national planning processes and strategies. I am confident the Secretariat is up to the task.

I also encourage member States and the Nile Basin Initiative to adopt an integrated water resources management approach that prioritises both water management and landscape restoration. We have seen that many of the challenges faced by the River Nile and its tributaries begin upstream in our farm-lands, degraded forests and mining sites.

In addition, we must utilise new technologies to improve the efficiency of our water use. New irrigation techniques, including drip irrigation, lining water channels, reducing evaporation and climate-smart agriculture can be adopted to achieve this goal.

By taking a holistic approach to catchment management, we can improve both the health of our waterways and the land we rely upon so heavily. Such an approach that embodies the different dimensions of the basin will support the sustainable management and development of the finite transboundary water resources we share.

The benefits of managing these transboundary resources in a collaborative manner are evident. The Regional Rusumo Hydroelectric Project is just one example. The plant will generate approximately 80 megawatts which will be shared equally between Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. These kinds of partnerships must be strengthened and replicated.

Today’s celebration of the Nile Basin Initiative is an opportunity to jointly work towards achieving regional development as well as global agendas. Attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063 by the Nile Basin will be a great demonstration of the strength of our cooperation.

The success of the Nile Basin Initiative over the last two decades is thanks to the investments we have made as Member States, and the contributions of many others we are proud to call partners.

I applaud all nations for their commitment to cooperation. We face significant demands on our time in our home countries, but this enduring spirit of cooperation not only strengthens the health of the basin, but indeed the well-being of the region at large.

Our work together would not have been possible without the valued contributions of our development partners. Thank you for being with us on this journey.

At this juncture, I wish to commend the work done by the outgoing Executive Director, Innocent Ntabana. We also welcome the incoming Executive Director, Prof. Seifeldin Hamad Abdalla - a highly skilled and experienced man who will be at the helm of the NBI Secretariat in the coming years. I pledge the support of Rwanda for his work, and that of the entire NBI Secretariat.

To conclude, I would like to thank the Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat staff, past and present, for their tremendous work. Your dedication and passion for the River Nile is an inspiration to us all. We wish the new leadership of the Secretariat all the best and look forward to seeing the initiative reach even greater heights.

It is now my duty and honour to officially open the celebrations of the 20^th Anniversary of the Nile Basin Initiative.

Happy celebrations to you all.

Thank you for your kind attention.