Nile Basin Initiative welcomes new Executive Director, Burundian national Dr. Eng. Nestor Niyonzima
ENTEBBE – The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) today welcomed Dr. Eng. Nestor Niyonzima, its 12th Executive Director. Endorsed by NBI’s highest governing body, the Nile Council of Ministers (Nile-COM) during their 33rd meeting in Bujumbura, Burundi on 6 December 2025, Dr. Eng. Niyonzima replaces Ugandan Dr. Florence Grace Adongo as Uganda’s two-year term for stewarding the regional organisation came to an end in December 2025.
Dr. Eng. Niyonzima is the second Burundian national to serve as Executive Director of NBI, following Mr. Audace Ndayizeye, who served in the position from 2006 to 2008. Stewardship of the NBI rotates every two years among its Member States in English-language alphabetical order, based on endorsement by the Nile-COM.
Dr. Callist Tindimugaya, who represented NBI’s host country Uganda on the institution’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), congratulated the new Executive Director, noting that he started out “running” by driving critical discussions on cooperation and socio-economic investments in the Nile Basin.
Dr. Callist commended Dr. Florence Grace Adongo for her leadership, good work and fruitful collaboration with NBI’s governance organs and partners.
Born in 1982, Dr. Eng. Niyonzima was nominated by the Government of Burundi through the new Nile-COM chairperson and Minister of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, Ms. Calinie Mbarushimana. He holds a PhD in Water Engineering, the equivalent of a Master’s degree (engineer) in Hydraulics Engineering and Water Management, and a Diploma in University Teaching from the Moscow State University of Environmental Engineering in the Russian Federation.
Dr. Eng. Niyonzima held various senior positions within Burundi’s Ministry of Hydraulics, Energy and Mines. Most recently, he served as Director General of the Burundian Agency for Hydraulics and Sanitation in Rural Areas and headed the Project Executing Agency for the Programme for the Water Sector and Strengthening Resilience to Climate Change. He also worked as a senior lecturer at the University of Burundi.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Eng. Niyonzima said, “Today marks a defining moment for the millions of citizens of the Nile Basin, whose lives depend on the decisions we make and the actions we take together.”
Addressing partners, staff and TAC members from NBI’s Member States, the new Executive Director said he was starting out on a “strong foundation”.
He outlined his priorities, which include strengthening trust and cooperation among member states of NBI, accelerating implementation of NBI’s 10-year strategy and delivering results that matter to people.
Under the leadership of Dr. Florence Grace Adongo, NBI registered significant achievements. The institution mobilised regional partners, including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Eastern Africa Power Pool and the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, to finalise the Nile River Basin Investment Programme. This programme contains 59 high-impact projects designed to boost socio-economic development across the Basin while reversing environmental degradation.
In addition, NBI revitalised the Regional Hydrological Monitoring System. Regional experts now regularly work together converting hydrological data – on water quantity and quality – into early warning information and advisories to support preparedness against climate extremes in NBI’s member countries. Other achievements include youth training programmes and NBI’s advanced efforts to establish a Nile Basin Centre of Excellence, building on the organisation’s robust online knowledge base and its 17 information systems.
###
About NBI
The Nile Basin Initiative is a regional intergovernmental partnership of ten riparian countries of the River Nile, namely, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Eritrea participates as an observer. NBI seeks to cooperatively develop water resources of the Nile Basin in a sustainable manner leading to prosperity and peace.
Website nilebasin.org
X: @nbiweb
Linkedin Nile Basin Secretariat
For more information, contact NBI Regional Communication Specialist Lydia Wamala at lwamala@nilebasin.org