Political and economic revolutions on the nile

Political and economic revolutions on the Nile: when water mix with fire

Ana Elisa Cascão, SIWIPresentation to DIIS Seminar,

19 March 2013

The stage

Multiple changes in the Nile Basin region

Political and Economic revolutions

2

... a revolution

... an independence and a new state

... double-digit economic growth figures

... increasing demands for food and energy

... new infrastructures, including large-scale dams

... new large-scale land deals

Impact of the political-economic changes in transboundary water management/cooperation

Transboundary Management/Allocation• National development first• Water enough to all developments?• Transboundary impacts?

Transboundary Cooperation• NBI: Transitional institutional

framework• Lack of basin-wide legal agreement• ≠ ’Languages’ and Timing

’Industrial’ revolution time

Agenda:• National economic development on top• ’Growth’ is the slogan• Race for natural resources• Political benefits outweight financial/social/

environmental costs• Perception of risk decreased

Challenges:• Limited regional perspective (on water)• New financiers and financial ’contracts’ • New ways of interacting with external actors

Regional growth corridors (including water?)

• Roads• Railways• Trade• Oil pipelines• Power transmission

lines• Etc...

Why not water?

Who is financing development(s)?Who is financing cooperation?

...and several private companies from US/EU

... and the Nile riparians countries themselves ... and the Nile riparians countries themselves

Recommendations to ’donors’...

’Right to Development’: Yes or Not?

Thanks for your [email protected]