Africa is home to many of the world’s longest rivers – the Niger, the Congo, and of course, the Nile. Spanning over 4,000 miles, the Nile, considered the longest river in the world, has provided sustenance, transport, irrigation and power for millions of people living in the 11 countries it passes through.
Estimates suggest that nearly 400 million people live in the Nile basin, making it one of the most populated area in Africa and possible in the world. Uganda and Ethiopia, whose borders it forms, are known to have the highest populations along the river.
The river is a lifeline for its people, who rely on it heavily for fishing, transportation, and water for their crops and livestock. And with annual flooding season, come with new soil fertility and it is harnessed by its people to build irrigation systems. It is predictably one of the most important resource in the region.
But the rising population along the river – mainly due to migration – creates a huge strain on it and surrounding natural resources, leading to issues such as water scarcity, pollution and deforestation. Dr. Lupa Wangka, an environmental sustainability expert from Ethiopia, says “With a growing population, the people living along the Nile continue to exploit the delicate ecosystems, leading to overexploitation and depletion of the river and its biodiversity”.
An estimated 17.2 million people in the Nile basin do not have access to clean drinking water and 40 million more are at risk of food insecurity. But this is preventable with the right interventions. The governments of the 11 countries in the basin have convened to work together under the 2019-2023 Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) to address the issues.
For example, the CFA has established regulations on the number of megawatts generated by large-scale dams on the river while also promoting better governance on water resources. Additionally, it has put targeted measures to reduce pollution, minimising habitat destruction and ensuring food security.
But the success of the CFA is contingent on the commitment and dedication of the river’s people. By understanding their needs and concerns it could be easier for people to manage their resources more sustainably.
Lack of Access to Education
Across the Middle East and North Africa, 24 million children are at risk of not completing a full school cycle, this number is particularly high in the countries down the Nile. Crowded urban environments and inadequate infrastructure mean many don’t even get the chance to start their education journey. Closing the learning gap is a crucial step for the people in the basin to gain skills, competencies and technical knowledge that could help them build a self-reliant, sustainable economy.
The regional limitations to access primary and secondary education, particularly in resource-limited countries like South Sudan, have grave consequences as educated individuals are necessary to drive the nations’ development in a direction of sustainability, economic stability and higher standards of living. The World Bank estimates that to accommodate the existing regional student population, the current and quality of infrastructure needs to be doubled.
Not having access to education is a global issue, but it is particularly dire in the Nile basin, with a disproportionate number of children at risk of missing out on education. Children need to be equipped with the basic knowledge and skills to become competitive in the job market, a challenge which can be overcome through universal quality education access.
Poverty is one of the region’s key barriers, with many families unable to pay for materials and uniforms, issues that can be further compounded when poverty is coupled with overcrowded classrooms, lack of equipment and inadequate infrastructure.
Climate Change
A phenomenon that is not discussed a lot is climate change’s role in exacerbating the problems of the river’s people. Global warming affects every aspect of their lives – from the water they have access to, the crops they cultivate, the disease they face and the livelihood of many.
Due to the changes in the Earth’s atmospheric conditions, it’s expected that temperatures in the Nile basin will increase significantly. This would mean more floods, droughts and increased evapotranspiration, destabilising ecosystems and water distribution exposing communities to resource shortages.
In a statement from the World Wildlife Fund, they point out the consequences of global warming, “Rivers, lakes and wetlands are under threat due to climate change, and the Socotra cormorant – along with many other species – are at risk of disappearing”.
The UN Environmental program is also seeking to tackle climate change by investing in carbon sequestration and clean energy. This includes investing in renewable energy such as solar and wind and planting trees in spaces that have been previously mined or logged.
Through the CFA’s collaborative spirit and with the investment of external organizations such as the World Bank, the people in the basin have hope that the challenges ahead can be tackled and those living along the river’s can continue relying on it for their survival.
Funding for Projects
The CFA also prioritises providing funding for specific projects to help in tackling the issues the region is facing. For instance, the Nile Basin Development Challenge (NBDC), a global partnership between the World Bank and the Nile basin countries, is overseeing projects that are creating more electricity for Ethiopia, where about half of the population is off the grid.
The challenge has been successful in its work in the past few years, and is set to continue collaborating with countries in the basin to promote the sustainable management of cross-border water and energy resources. This includes supporting joint action among the countries to develop clean energy sources and encouraging transboundary resource management.
Some of the initiatives have increased access to water resources and improved sanitation, providing communities with clean water, reducing water-related epidemics, and improving food security by building irrigation systems. Additionally, the challenge has raised awareness campaigns to encourage effective land and water management, as well as the adoption of efficient agricultural production systems.
The NBDC is just one example of how the CFA is working with external partners on a global scale to tackle the problems its people face. Through the World Bank, projects to protect the rivers from the negative impacts of climate change, improve access and quality of education, and to reduce resource exploitation are slowly being established.
The challenge for the CFA is ensuring that the change the external coordination efforts are trying to promote from a policy and operational level is adequately authenticated on the ground to ensure that these projects help the river’s people in the long run.
Emigration
The significant population along the river has also brought forth another problem: emigration. High levels of poverty, limited economic opportunities and unstable political conditions have forced many people who live along the Nile to emigrate.
The UN has estimated that 2.5 million Ethiopians have migrated abroad in search of better living conditions. Many of them have sought new opportunities in neighbouring countries such as Sudan, Somalia, and the United Arab Emirates, while others have ventured further afield, to Europe and the United States.
A downside to this phenomenon is that it reduces the much-needed labour force for the countries that line the river. About 40 per cent of Ethiopia’s labour force are drawn from rural areas and agriculture. An effort to provide better employment and educational opportunities could help reduce the outflow of the region’s population.
In a region that faces many structural challenges, policies that promote labour mobility and provide means for the people to acquire the necessary skills to benefit from the opportunities that come with migration in a safe and secure fashion are needed. Special programmes such as bilateral agreements between countries can also help attract skilled labour to the basin.
Political Instability
Political instability is yet another problem that has been driving people away from the region. Civil wars and political tensions have historically plagued the basin and the effects have been widely felt in the people’s day-to-day lives.
One of the most notable conflicts was the Ethiopia-Eritrea war, which displaced 2.5 million people and saw hundreds of thousands fleeing the area. In Sudan, the ongoing conflict in Darfur since 2003 has forced millions to leave their homes, many of which have escaped to Sudan’s neighbouring countries in the basin.
In a statement from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), they point out that “Conflict and insecurity have forced more than 7 million people to abandon their homes, leaving them displaced within or beyond their countries’ borders.”
In recent years, the region has also been affected by the looming threat of terrorism. Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan – all home to the river’s people – have seen their populations suffer significantly from the presence of terror groups. Coupled with a lack of access to quality education in the area, these groups have been able to recruit people to join them.
To tackle this issue, a heavy emphasis must be placed on building resilient communities that are well-equipped to counter terrorism. This means giving the people access to quality education, investing in effective governance and providing employment opportunities to those who might otherwise be susceptible to extremist recruitment.
Conclusion
The Nile basin is a unique part of the African continent, home to some of the world’s oldest civilisations and its longest river. Despite being a vital resource for the 400 million people living there, the basin’s inhabitants face various challenges in their day-to-day life.
The governments of the 11 countries in the basin have convened to work together under the 2019-2023 Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) to address these issues. Programs to help with Access to Education, Climate Change, Funding for Projects, Emigration and Political Instability, have been set up with the help of the CFA and external organisations such as the World Bank.
Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the success of the CFA is heavily dependent on the commitment, engagement and enthusiasm of the river’s people. With enough effort and the right interventions, the area can become more sustainable and its people can thrive in the region.
