Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam affirmed on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Egypt’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with Germany, particularly in water and climate issues, research and applied sciences, and the implementation of the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus.
He also highlighted cooperation in supporting the Pan-African Centre for Water and Climate Adaptation (PACWA) to advance water and food security across Africa and strengthen the resilience of communities most vulnerable to climate change. Sewilam made the remarks during a meeting with Wolf-Jürgen Stahl, president of the Federal Academy for Security Policy in Berlin, and his accompanying delegation to discuss ways to enhance Egyptian-German cooperation in water resources.
The minister outlined the key pillars of Egypt’s second-generation water management system (2.0), which seeks to maximize the return on every unit of water, expand the use of modern technologies and digitalization, improve the efficiency of water management and operations, strengthen governance, and harness scientific research and innovation to address water scarcity and climate change.
These efforts aim to advance water and food security and support sustainable development. The meeting also featured an exchange of views on regional water issues. Sewilam reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to supporting its African partners, particularly Nile Basin countries, through a range of development cooperation projects.
These include drilling 365 wells, establishing solar-powered groundwater stations, rainwater harvesting reservoirs, river ports, rainfall and flood forecasting centers, and water quality laboratories, and implementing flood protection and aquatic weed control projects.
Egypt has also provided training to approximately 1,650 participants from Nile Basin and other African countries, with the total value of its development cooperation projects exceeding dlrs 120 million, the minister said. Sewilam noted that Egypt had launched a new financing mechanism with initial funding of dlrs 100 million to study and implement development projects in Nile Basin countries according to their priorities.
The projects include infrastructure and dam construction in the southern Nile Basin, reflecting Egypt’s commitment to regional development, cooperation and mutual benefits. The talks also addressed Egypt’s efforts to support development across Africa, particularly in light of its presidency of the African Water Facility.