Africa-Press – Uganda. President Museveni and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi have agreed on a package of cooperation deals aimed at boosting shared use of the Nile, modernising agriculture, expanding trade, and strengthening health systems.
The accords were signed in Cairo on the second day of Museveni’s three-day official visit.
A key outcome was a Memorandum of Understanding on water management and irrigation, intended to promote equitable and sustainable use of the Nile River by all riparian states.
Museveni urged a shift from historic rights to meeting the needs of all Basin countries, while El-Sisi stressed Egypt’s dependence on the Nile and its desire for Uganda’s support in fostering regional water cooperation.
The Nile has long been a source of tension among the 11 countries in its basin — Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Colonial-era agreements of 1929 and 1959 granted Egypt and Sudan significant control over the river’s waters, a position that upstream nations have increasingly challenged through the Nile Basin Initiative and the Cooperative Framework Agreement, calling for a fairer allocation that supports their development needs.
In agriculture, Minister of State for Luweero Triangle and Rwenzori Region, Alice Kaboyo, and Egypt’s Agriculture and Land Reclamation minister, Alaa Farouk, signed an agreement to transfer technologies, enhance rural development, reclaim land, and bolster food security.
Economic ties were strengthened through a pact between Finance minister Matia Kasaija and Egypt’s Investment Minister Hassan el-Khatib, aimed at increasing trade, investment, and joint ventures, particularly in electricity and irrigation infrastructure.
Museveni also called for greater intra-African trade to reduce reliance on European markets.
The two countries further agreed to step up health and veterinary cooperation, including joint action against foot-and-mouth disease.
Egypt will supply vaccines and help establish a vaccine production facility in Uganda.
Beyond bilateral matters, Museveni and el-Sisi discussed regional stability, voicing support for peaceful solutions in Libya, Sudan, and Palestine.
The deals mark what both leaders described as a new phase in Uganda-Egypt relations, centred on sustainable development, economic growth, and deeper regional collaboration.
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