Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, witnessed the signing of an agreement between the Ministry’s Nile Water Affairs Sector and the American University in Cairo (AUC) to implement the Building Climate Leadership Excellence to Advance African Resilience (BCLEAR) program.
The program is aimed at strengthening cooperation with African countries, particularly Nile Basin states, through capacity building and the exchange of knowledge and expertise among African institutions and professionals.Sewilam said Egypt regards its relations with African countries, particularly Nile Basin states, as longstanding ties among members of one African and Nile Basin family.He noted that countries across the continent face common challenges related to water resources, climate change, food security and development, making enhanced cooperation and the exchange of expertise and successful experiences essential to addressing these challenges.Nile Basin countries, he added, have diverse expertise and experiences that can provide a foundation for stronger technical cooperation and help translate relations among basin countries into practical partnerships that directly benefit national institutions and professionals.Sewilam described BCLEAR as a practical example of this approach, saying the program brings together African institutions and professionals to share expertise while drawing on governmental, academic, research and technical capabilities available in Egypt and other participating countries.He highlighted the partnership with AUC, citing its academic, training and research capabilities, and said the university’s participation complements the technical and institutional expertise of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and specialized institutions in participating countries.The partnership, he added, will help align the program’s training content with countries’ practical needs while promoting knowledge transfer and mutual learning across Africa.Sewilam said the program includes four Training of Trainers (ToT) programs, including sessions to be hosted by Egypt with the participation of African professionals, as well as programs in Uganda and Rwanda, both Nile Basin countries.The training will be carried out in cooperation with specialized research and technical institutions in the participating countries and will cover climate-smart agriculture, sustainable water resources management, crop and water management, the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus, and integrated resource planning.The program also seeks to establish a sustainable network of African trainers and experts capable of transferring the knowledge and skills gained through the program to their national institutions, thereby expanding its reach and strengthening knowledge-sharing across the continent.Sewilam said the program is also being implemented as Egypt holds the current presidency of the African Water Facility (AWF), reaffirming Egypt’s commitment to promoting African cooperation, capacity building and knowledge exchange during its tenure.He stressed that Egypt would continue working with its African partners, particularly within the Nile Basin, noting that the common challenges facing the continent require closer cooperation, knowledge sharing and joint action.Sewilam concluded that BCLEAR represents a practical model of partnership, mutual learning and capacity building aimed at strengthening African expertise and supporting countries’ ability to address shared water, climate and development challenges.
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