Wali says Ethiopia not build any dams on Nile

Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Youssef Wali denied on Thursday news purporting that Ethiopia is building dams and reservoirs on the Nile.

There are no such projects blocking Nile water to Sudan and Egypt, said Wali in his key speech at the Nile Basin Ministerial Conference, held in Cairo on Thursday.

The three-day meetings are being attended by Ministers of Water Resources and Irrigation in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda in addition to representatives from Congo and Burundi.

He said Egypt and the other Nile Basin countries have many fields of joint cooperation, especially Sudan and Ethiopia.

"Egypt can help build electricity generating projects and transfer technology and expertise to help in the development of the vast arable lands in Ethiopia and Sudan," said Wali.

"Egypt can also benefit the ten-state basin with supplies of high productivity crop seeds, development of livestock and expansion of the areas cultivated with sugar beet in Sudan," added Wali.

"Egypt can import fresh and frozen meat from Sudan by building slaughter houses and coolers on the borders to ease this mission," said Wali.

On his part, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Mahmoud Abu Zeid said the Nile Basin Countries' ministerial meetings witness new additions every time with the aim of developing water resources of the Nile and fair distribution of the Nile waters.

These meetings acquire a special importance in view of the African countries' sufferings under severe shortage in food and potable water in spite of ampleness of lands, water and human resources, noted Abu Zeid.

He praised the donor countries and the World Bank's supply of funds for the feasibility studies necessary for joint projects among the Nile Basin countries.