The NBI Secretariat (Nile-SEC) is the executive and technical arm of the NBI, an institution jointly owned by all the 10 Member States. based in Entebbe – Uganda and is responsible for the overall corporate direction as well as the lead center for two programs: Basin Cooperation and Water Resource Management.

The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is an intergovernmental partnership of 10 Nile Basin countries, namely Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, The Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Eritrea participates as an observer. For the first time in the Basin's history, an all-inclusive basin-wide institution was established, on 22nd February, 1999, to provide a forum for consultation and coordination among the Basin States for the sustainable management and development of the shared Nile Basin water and related resources for win-win benefits.

Facilitating Basin Cooperation 

The Basin Cooperation core function actively provides the first and only all-inclusive and neutral regional platform for Member States to discuss with trust and confidence, how to collectively take care of and jointly use the shared Nile Basin water and related resources. This is in order to maximize win-win benefits for current and future generations and minimize risks and costs.

Water Resources Management 

Under this core function, Nile-SEC strengthens Member States’ institutional and technical capacities and provides shared knowledge bases to support decision making and action at local levels. This includes generating basin wide science based information and making available to Member States, analytic tools, the necessary policy instruments and early warning systems as key pre-requisites for safeguarding and managing the shared Nile Basin water resources in a sustainable manner.