The consequences of non-cooperation can imply the death of the Nile River Basin system which could result into internal strive, interstate conflicts, war and lost development opportunities, Ugandaś negotiator has said.
Mr. Apollo Okwi Ugandaś Nile negotiator said this while presenting a paper on the social implications of Nile cooperation during a stakeholders workshop organised by the Uganda Nile Discourse Forum on November 25th, 2010 at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala.

The only way forward for the states of the Nile River Basin is to implement the new Cooperative Framework Agreement as it will open new opportunities for cooperation, development and sustainable management/utilisation of the water resources of the Nile River Basin for the benefit of all, he observed.

He also shared about the challenge of listening to issues raised by Egypt and acknowledged that all negaotiators were sympathetic to Egypt and all their issues were accomodated in the negotiations leading to the conclusion of the CFA.

He said a new Cooperative Framework Agreement over the Nile Basin is good for Uganda and the other riparian states since it will define a new future for the country that is devoid of the contentious colonial era agreements that have been thorn in the collective psychology of the nations.

He pointed out that the Cooperative Framework Agreement had been concluded after over 10 years of negotiations and added that on 14-May-2010, the Nile Basin States of Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia signed the CFA in Entebbe. Kenya signed later while Burundi and DRC have promised to sign at a later date. However, Egypt and Sudan refused to sign the agreement because they were not satisfied with its Article 14 B on water security.

Okwi said that during the 13-Apr-2010 Sharm el Sheikh Nile COM meeting, Egypt had proposed that the Nile Basin countries launch the Nile Basin Commission (NBC) through a presidential declaration while, negotiations on the pending Article 14b continue.

Now, according to this proposal by Egypt there would then be no need to sign the CFA, but that proposal was rejected by the seven countries who then agreed that the CFA open for signature beginning 14-May-2010 for one year.

In his observations, Okwi mentions that the Nile River is a great strategic resource/asset upon which the very survival and existence of some basin countries is dependent on. It therefore attracts both security threats and opportunities to all the riparian states.
He also said that the Nile River waters are very crucial for the socio-economic development and survival of all the riparian states.  The River gives the countries both opportunities and vulnerabilities which if not well managed could be detrimental to the long term national interests of all of them.