From Addis to Cairo to Dar es Salaam: Africa’s Water Crisis and the Case for Arab-Regional Partnership

Dr Ammar Abkar Abdalla
The year 2026 is witnessing significant momentum on water-related issues at both African and Arab levels, at a time when pressure on water resources is intensifying as a result of climate change, population growth, urban expansion, and rising demand for water, food and energy, alongside the complexities of managing shared water resources between states. Against this backdrop, Africa will host three important water platforms between September and November 2026: the African Water Security Conference in Addis Ababa, the Seventh Arab Water Conference alongside the Ninth Cairo Water Week, and the Eighth Nile Basin Development Forum in Dar es Salaam.
The significance of these gatherings lies not merely in their academic papers and technical sessions, but in the more important question: how can scientific knowledge and political dialogue be transformed into practical cooperation that strengthens water security and makes water an instrument of development and peace, rather than a source of tension and disagreement?
Towards a Water-Secure and Resilient Africa
The Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, will host the African Water Security Conference (AWS-2026) from 21 to 23 September 2026, under the theme:
“Towards a Water-Secure and Resilient Africa.”
The African Centre of Excellence for Water Management at Addis Ababa University and the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy are jointly organising the conference. It will be held at the Victory Hall in Addis Ababa.
The organisers expect more than 500 delegates from Africa and beyond, representing government institutions, universities, research centres, regional and international organisations, professional bodies and stakeholders in the water sector.
The conference derives its importance from its attempt to connect science, policy and practical implementation in addressing Africa’s water-security challenges. The continent faces a range of interconnected pressures, including climate change, droughts and floods, population growth, and rising demands tied to food and energy security, alongside the need to protect ecosystems and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
A number of prominent scientists and experts will participate in the conference, including Professor Assefa M. Melesse of Florida International University as a keynote speaker; Sudanese Professor Elfatih A. B. Eltahir, Professor of Hydrology and Climate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Professor Michael R. Templeton of Imperial College London; Professor Nancy G. Love of the University of Michigan; and Dr Ted Lawrence of the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education.
Professor Elfatih Eltahir’s participation is particularly significant from a Sudanese perspective, given his prominence as a Sudanese scientist at one of the world’s leading academic institutions and his contributions to hydrology, climate science, and water security.
The programme will also include a high-level dialogue on the equitable and sustainable use of water for development, alongside keynote lectures and parallel scientific and technical sessions. One notable feature is a technical visit on 24 September 2026 to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which, according to the published programme, will include an introduction to the dam’s operations, visits to a number of its facilities, and interaction with engineers on site.
This highlights the event’s importance and sensitivity for Sudan and the Nile Basin countries. Water security in Africa cannot be viewed solely through the lens of infrastructure or available water quantities. It is also closely linked to cross-border cooperation, information sharing, confidence-building, international water law, shared risk management and water diplomacy.
Arab Partnerships for Peace and Development
Approximately one month after the Addis Ababa conference, the regional water dialogue will move to Cairo, where Egypt will host the Seventh Arab Water Conference on 26 and 27 October 2026 under the theme:
“Water in the Arab Region: Partnerships for Peace and Sustainable Development.”
The conference will take place alongside the Ninth Cairo Water Week, scheduled for 25–29 October 2026.
The Arab Water Conference is a regional platform for discussing shared water challenges, strengthening Arab cooperation on water scarcity and climate change, and promoting sustainable water-resource management.
The conference’s main themes include non-conventional water resources; institutional and legislative frameworks for integrated water-resource management; governance of shared water resources; water-security strategies; and strengthening water diplomacy to support cross-border cooperation and prevent conflicts.
Meanwhile, Cairo Water Week 2026 will be held under the theme:
“Water as a Catalyst for Peace, Shared Prosperity and a Sustainable Planet.”
Its themes include managing shared water resources under international water law for peace and regional stability; food security; desalination and water reuse; climate-change adaptation; artificial intelligence and digital transformation; financing; and national water governance.
Bringing together governments, international institutions, academics, researchers, the private sector and professional organisations in Cairo will provide an important space for dialogue on the future of water in the Arab region, one of the areas of the world most severely affected by water scarcity.
Towards a Resilient and Inclusive Future for the Nile Basin
This regional momentum will continue in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where the city will host the Eighth Nile Basin Development Forum (NBDF8) from 25 to 27 November 2026.
The forum, organised by the Nile Basin Initiative, will be held under the theme:
“Building a Resilient and Inclusive Future for the Nile Basin: Investing in People, Innovation and Cooperation for Shared Prosperity.”
The forum is one of the Nile Basin Initiative’s most important platforms for dialogue between science, policy and practice. It is expected to bring together policymakers, scientists, researchers, development partners, civil-society organisations, academia, the private sector, women and young people to develop practical solutions for the future of the Nile Basin.
The forum will feature three days of technical sessions, public discussions, ministerial dialogues, exhibitions and youth participation, alongside the fifth edition of the Nile Basin Media Awards.
Holding the forum in Tanzania carries important historical significance. Tanzania hosted the historic meeting that established the Nile Basin Initiative in 1999, and it is now hosting the Nile Basin Development Forum for the first time.
This edition comes at a time when the basin faces mounting pressures from climate change, population growth, rising demand for water, food and energy, and ecosystem degradation. The forum will therefore focus not only on infrastructure investment, but also on people, institutions, knowledge, technology, and partnerships, with particular attention to the role of women and young people, digital innovation, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and data systems.
According to the Nile Basin Initiative, the forum is expected to contribute to policy and technical recommendations, open new investment opportunities, and develop knowledge products and partnerships that support cooperation and shared development among the basin countries.
Sudan Between the Three Platforms
For Sudan, the conferences in Addis Ababa, Cairo, and Dar es Salaam should not be viewed as separate events, but as interconnected stages in a single regional dialogue on water security, cooperation, and sustainable development.
By virtue of its geographical and hydrological position, Sudan lies at the heart of a highly important regional water system. It shares a number of transboundary basins and water resources with neighbouring countries. Its water relations with both Ethiopia and Egypt, together with its membership of the Nile Basin Initiative, make scientific, technical and diplomatic dialogue on water a strategic matter extending far beyond any individual file or project.
Sudan’s active participation in these forums should therefore bring together science, engineering, policy, law, and diplomacy, while giving Sudanese universities, researchers, experts, and professionals opportunities to present scientific papers and practical perspectives that reflect Sudan’s interests while supporting regional cooperation.
The discussion should not remain confined to the traditional question of each country’s share of the water. It should extend to broader questions:
How can states manage shared risks? How can data exchange, early-warning systems and flood and drought forecasting be improved? How can projects delivering shared benefits in water, energy and food be developed? And how can regional institutions help build trust between states?
Given the challenges it currently faces, Sudan needs a national water strategy that combines infrastructure rehabilitation, the development of hydrological monitoring networks, digital transformation, forecasting and early-warning systems, and stronger technical and diplomatic engagement in regional institutions and platforms.
What Should We Expect from These Conferences?
Successful conferences are measured not only by the number of participants or papers presented, but by the impact they leave after the sessions end.
These gatherings are expected to bring science closer to decision-making, build partnerships between universities, governments, and regional and international organisations, strengthen the exchange of data and knowledge, and enhance African and Arab capacities in modelling, forecasting, early warning, and climate adaptation.
There is also a growing need to place water diplomacy at the heart of the discussion. Shared waters do not recognise political borders; consequently, their sustainable management requires permanent institutions and mechanisms for dialogue, cooperation and the exchange of benefits.
In basins such as the Nile, confidence cannot be built through political rhetoric alone. It requires long-term technical cooperation, transparency in information sharing, joint projects and sustained professional relationships among scientists, engineers and institutions across the basin countries.
The conferences must also produce clear mechanisms to follow up on recommendations, identify the bodies responsible for implementing them, secure the necessary funding, and measure progress before the next rounds of meetings.
An Opportunity to Reframe the Water Dialogue
The convening of the African Water Security Conference in Addis Ababa, followed by the Seventh Arab Water Conference and the Ninth Cairo Water Week, and culminating in the Eighth Nile Basin Development Forum in Dar es Salaam, provides an important symbolic and practical opportunity to move from broad dialogue towards tangible regional cooperation.
Between Addis Ababa, Cairo and Dar es Salaam lie interconnected countries, communities, rivers and interests. At the heart of this system lies Sudan, with all the challenges, responsibilities and opportunities arising from its geographical position.
Perhaps the most important message to emerge from these forums should be that water security cannot be achieved in isolation, and that one country’s water security should not come at the expense of another’s.
True sustainability begins when countries are able to transform shared water resources from a source of anxiety and competition into a space for building trust, shared interests and mutual benefits.
Amid rapidly changing climatic and geopolitical conditions, Africa and the Arab region need, more than ever, to move from managing disputes over water to managing cooperation through water.
That is the real test of what comes after the conferences: turning academic papers, dialogues, and platforms into policies, partnerships, projects, and mutual trust that make water a bridge to peace, sustainable development, and shared prosperity.

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