The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) took over rotating leadership of the Nile Equatorial Lakes Council of Ministers (NELCOM) from Ethiopia, for the next one year during the 24th annual NELCOM meeting held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the end of June 2021. Receiving the mandate on behalf of D.R Congo, Vice Prime Minister Hon. Eve Bazaiba Masudi, who is also the country’s Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development said that her country has committed to come back to the African brotherhood as an active member of NELSAP / NBI. The Hon. Vice Prime Minister said that her country places high importance on NELSAP/NBI and also supports sustainable socio-economic development through equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile Basin water resources.
“On the instructions of the President of the D.R Congo, H.E Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, who is the Chairman of the African Union, I was sent to participate in this NELCOM, and to express commitment of my government to objectives of NELSAP/NBI,” Vice Prime Minister stated.
“In the recent past, D.R Congo has not been appearing in the NELSAP governance meetings due to some internal challenges, however, we are now back fully,” the Hon. Vice Prime Minister explained. She commended the solidarity and patience of other member states and noted that despite D.R Congo’s absence, her country and its people continued to benefit from very important projects from NELSAP, projects which she said respond to the objectives of Africa Union’s Agenda 2063. The Hon. Vice Prime Minister spoke in the presence of other members of the Council of Ministers including the host Hon. Dr. Eng. Seleshi Bekele, Ethiopia Minister for Water, Irrigation and Energy Affairs who is the outgoing NELCOM chair. Others present were Hon. Prof. Yasir Abbas Mohammed, Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources of the Sudan, Hon. Maryprisca Mahundi (MP) Deputy Minister of Water and Irrigation of the United Republic of Tanzania. In virtual attendance to the 24th NELCOM meeting was Hon. Dr. Jeanne D’Arc Mujawamariya, Minister of Environment of Rwanda. Uganda Minister of Water and Environment Hon. Sam Cheptoris Mangusho, was represented by his Permanent Secretary Dr. Alfred Okot Okidi. Theme of this year’s meeting was “Putting Water and Energy Development at the Heart of Regional Transformation and River Basin Cooperation.”
The outgoing NELCOM Chair Hon. Dr. Eng. Seleshi Bekele applauded NELSAP governance and coordination unit for the achievements recorded during the fiscal year 2020-2021. “The progress made by NELSAP is commendable especially during this difficult time of Covid-19.” The Hon. Minister cited progress of construction progress of the 80MW Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project (RRFHP) which was about 80% complete at the end of June 2021. The Hon. Minister stated that Rusumo project shareholders - the Governments of the Republic of Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania, together with NELSAP-CU and development partner the World Bank, were working to speed up completion of the project. Hon. Bekele noted that studies for power interconnections projects and water resources projects were advancing well as well as important resources mobilization with the World Bank CIWA, AfDB, NEPAD among others.
The Council of Ministers (NELCOM) is the highest policy and decision making organ that guides the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP-CU). In an event preceding the Council of Ministers meeting, the Technical Advisory arm of NELSAP, The Nile Equatorial Lakes Technical Advisory Committee (NELTAC) also held its 35th meeting where it, among others, approved NELSAP-CU work plan and budget for the year 2021-2022. D.R Congo also took over rotating leadership of NELTAC from Ethiopia.