π»ππ 39th π¬ππππππ π΅πππ πΊπππππ ππππ π¨πππππ π·ππππππ π»πππ (π¬π΅πΊπ¨π·π») π΄ππππππ.
The Eastern Nile Subsidiary Action Program Team (ENSAPT) 39th meeting is taking place today from 16th -17th of July 2025 in Kampala, Uganda, brings together leaders and participants from the Eastern Nile countries.
The primary objective of this governance meeting is to review overall plan and performance of the organization, which includes both technical and financial performances, audit reports, and human resources matters within ENTRO for the period spanning from July 2024 to June 2025 aiming to identify areas for improvement to meet the office strategic goals. The meeting brought together ENSAPT Leaders, NBI management, GIZ, ENTRO management and technical staff.
During the opening remarks ENTRO Acting Executive Director, Eng. Teshome Atenafie welcomed all participant to the 39th ENSAPT Meeting and extended gratitude to the Government of Uganda and the Ministry of Water and Environment for hosting and supporting the event.
Acting ED Emphasize the importance of this meeting which is crucial for setting ENTROβs direction over the next six months, following the previous meeting in February 2025 in Addis Ababa and urges the meeting to focus on strategies to address funding challenges and review key agenda items including performance reports, work plans, audit outcomes and he status of Eastern Nile Basin Investment Program (BIP).
Eng. Teshome thank all ENTRO staff and management who devoted for the last six months day and night and worked hard to achieve this commendable performance and sustain the organization. He calls on member countries and development partners to strengthen their commitment to cooperative water resource management in the Eastern Nile Basin by saying this Acting ED Invite NBI Executive Director to deliver speech to at her capacity and representing host TAC.
The NBI Executive Director Dr. Florence Grace Adongo during her opening remarks, warmly welcomed delegates on behalf of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Chair Uganda, and the NBI, marking the first official engagement of Dr. Abraham, the newly appointed deputy Executive Director of the NBI Secretariat, the NBI ED Encouraged participants to feel at home, for the Secretariat and Ugandaβs Ministry of Water and Environment remain available to provide full support during the meeting.
By saying this, Dr. Adango praised recent successes, including the well-attended Nile Day hosted in Ethiopiaβgraced by the Presidentβas well as the positive outcomes of the World Bank supervision mission and the growing performance of the NCCR project.
Despite financial constraints and the end of several donor-funded projects, the ED expressed optimism about improving conditions and emphasized the importance of timely country contributions. she acknowledged Ethiopia for its recent financial support and urged other member states to follow suit.
Dr. Florence Adango Grace state that βThe future of Nile cooperation lies in your hands as governance representatives. Your leadership and commitment are vital to sustaining progress and realizing our shared vision,β the ED emphasized.
Following the ED Remark, South Sudan ENSAPT lead Eng. Thomas Jank highlight ongoing challenges in the region, such as the low functionality of their operations due to countries' contributions and resource mobilization issues.
The situation in South Sudan and Sudan is particularly concerning, with ongoing crises affecting stability. Eng. Thomas emphasizes the importance of commitment from all three Eastern Nile countries, as their cooperation is vital for the success of regional initiatives.
He expresses a dedication to addressing these challenges and maintaining contributions for future projects, highlighting the need for strong political will to support the progress made thus far.
Eng. Thomas Said that βIf any one of us fails to support the system, progress stalls. South Sudan is fully committed to ensuring the success of NBI, especially within the Eastern Nile sub-basin,β he stated.
In conclusion Eng. Thomas thanks the development partners and expresses optimism about achieving positive results with new leadership and emphasizes the importance of collaboration for the Basin investment plan and encourages continued cooperation and expresses hope for successful discussions at the meeting.
Sudan ENSAPT lead Dr. Hassan express his gratitude of attending this meeting, he raised the challenges related to country contributions, he promised that they will work as a country to overcome the problems, and we can collaborate effectively to address the recent challenges.
The ENSAPT chair and ENSAPT lead Ethiopia, Dr. Zebene Lakew expresses his gratitude to the Ugandan government, the Nile Secretariat, and GIZ for their support in hosting the event. He highlights the "Nile Cooperation for Climate Resilience" project for their importance in enhancing regional resilience to climate change, with tools and models developed to mitigate its impacts.
The ENSAPT Chair appreciates the recent performance rating of ENTRO by the World Bank highlights some progress, but challenges remain in funding, staffing, and security in the Eastern Nile region.
Dr. Zebene also states that the meeting is an opportunity to foster cooperation and advance sustainable development in the Nile Basin, which will also discuss the project's completion and necessary exit strategies related to human resources, and participants are encouraged to engage actively in discussions.
Dr. Zebene appreciated ENTRO efforts in lifting the NCCR project rating to the satisfactory level, in organizing the meeting, and attendees are encouraged to participate actively, sharing insights into sustainable development in the Eastern Nile Basin by saying this the meeting is officially opened, wishing for fruitful discussions and deliberations.
Accordingly, different presentation took place about the overall plan and performance of the organization, which includes both technical and financial performances, audit reports, and human resources matters within ENTRO for the period spanning from July 2024 to June 2025.
