The Nile: Is it a curse or blessing?

The analyses the water policies of the Nile riparian states and their attending consequences, including economic, environmental and social crises.

Historical, economic and political factors are converging to reduce the potential for water development in the upper riparian states of the Nile. In short, unless basin-wide development planning is considered a viable solution to conflict resolution and poverty reduction, the growing scarcity of water is likely to lead to inter-state conflict. The purpose of this paper is therefore to analyse the water policies of the Nile riparian states and their attending consequences, including economic, environmental and social crises. To that end, the paper begins with a close examination of historical, political, and economic conditions in the Nile riparian states and compares the regions’ water resources management policies as they relate to poverty reduction, conflict prevention and environmental sustainability.

About the author

Dr Debay Tadesse received his BA degree in World History from Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, and his MA degree in African History and PhD in African Studies, specialising in Public Policy and Development in Africa, from Howard University in Washington, DC. He is a senior researcher for the Direct Conflict Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.