The Nile has for a long time been a rallying cause for regional cooperation, as well as a potential cause of conflict due to its waters. There have been several myths about the Nile that have all raised their fair share of queries for example, where is the true source of the Nile?

The Nile has for a long time been a rallying cause for regional cooperation, as well as a potential cause of conflict due to its waters. There have been several myths about the Nile that have all raised their fair share of queries for example, where is the true source of the Nile?

Is it in Uganda or Rwanda? Other commentators have gone as far as suggesting it is in Burundi, and others Ethiopia, with some even suggesting Egypt! The Masai culture was built around legends on the River Nile, should we then say that the Nile has its source in Masailand?

All these questions pose a challenge – there is need to do extensive research. These different Nile worlds should therefore each be appreciated and reevaluated for authenticity. The goal of research therefore is to reconstruct a nonpartisan evidence-based concept of the Nile.

“The role of researchers is to look at the Nile Region in a different way from politicians and community members. In order to reconstruct these diverse water worlds, you need some analytical concepts that are not reductionist but are as open as possible,” Prof. Terje Tvedt-University of Bergen noted, while giving the main Keynote address at the three day conference under the central theme “Collaboration in the Nile Basin: The Way Forward”

Makerere University hosted this conference, which ran from 25th – 27th October, 2010 at the Speke Resort Munyonyo, where alumni, policymakers, water managers and academic experts from the ten Nile Basin countries gathered for yet another landmark Annual Nile Basin Research Conference.

Discussions on the strengthening of research collaboration across the Nile Basin were undertaken, with several institutions presenting their experiences and models on the way forward. A series of panel debates were also held on topics ranging from climate and health to cultural heritage and the history of Nile Development.

The Nile Basin Research Programme (NBRP) was launched in 2007 with funding from the Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Up to 60 researchers from the ten Nile Basin countries Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi and DRC have so far participated in the guest researcher programme, clearly showing that the alumni stretches across borders and beyond politics.
Welcoming participants to the workshop, Prof. Edward Kirumira, Head, Nile Basin Research Programme (NBRP), Makerere University explained that the Makerere University-University of Bergen collaboration is a framework that highlights the importance of collaboration as playing a major role in the Nile Basin Region and within the African continent as a whole.

“We are looking at research as a commodity for public good and in collaboration, we have to think medium term and long term for meaningful partnerships that allow for growth of public good,” Prof. Kirumira remarked. He added that with guiding principles such as teacher exchange, Interdisciplinary collaboration, students’ exchange programmes and expansion of collaboration beyond academics, the Makerere-Bergen collaboration is surely on track with regard to achieving its objectives.

Addressing the conference on behalf of the Vice Chancellor Makerere University, Prof. Ikoja Odong highlighted that as an institution that prides itself positively in responding to the national cries for information gathering and its accurate dissemination, Makerere University was proud to play host to the Nile Basin Research Programme (NBRP). The Programme, through regional collaboration is contributing to informing the process of reaching an agreement on how best the resources of the great River Nile can be shared by the ten Nile Basin countries.

“By producing a knowledgebase bank through research, writing and publishing in various countries across the region, the programme will help mentor junior researchers.” Prof. Ikoja-Odongo remarked.

Professor Ikoja stressed that the Nile Basin Research Programme is pertinent and in line with the institution’s mandate to increase research output and adopt knowledge transfer partnerships

Representing the Minister of Water and Environment Uganda, Eng. Kashillingi Mugisha, the Director, Water Resources Management, assured the participants that the Government of Uganda will continue to support and encourage this research agenda, and the research results will be used by the government in making policy decisions regarding the management of the Nile Basin water resources.

Closing the conference on 27th October 2010, the Norwegian Ambassador to Uganda H.E. Thorbjørn Gaustadsæther launched the series of books that the researchers have published, to mark the end of the first phase of the Nile Basin Region Research Programme.

Downloads 

The Vice Chancellor's Remarks MS Word version, PDF version  

Burundi's Water Resource Management in the Context of the Nile Basin Powerpoint  

Climate Change in Africa: the need to move from science to action Powerpoint

Nile Basin Map Powerpoint  

Unlocking Econ Growth & Devt potentials in the Nile Basin Powerpoint 

Article by Moreen Katushabe