Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty described the Julius Nyerere Dam, built by a consortium of Egyptian companies, as a model for cooperation between Nile Basin countries during a meeting with his Tanzanian counterpart on Thursday.
Abdelatty told Tanzania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Mahmoud Thabit Kombo that the hydropower project serves as an example for upstream and downstream states to collaborate on development. He highlighted that the dam, designed to meet Tanzania’s electricity needs, remains a top priority under Egyptian presidential directives to support regional development in the Nile Basin.
Regarding water security, Abdelatty stressed the necessity of cooperation and integration to achieve mutual benefits. He called for a return to “the spirit of consensus and brotherhood” to restore inclusivity within the Nile Basin Initiative, while explicitly rejecting unilateral actions in the Eastern Nile. He welcomed recent consultative steps by the Nile Basin Initiative’s Ministerial Council to protect the interests of all basin states in accordance with international law.
Minister Kombo expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s efforts in constructing the Julius Nyerere Dam, calling it a milestone in Tanzania’s development. He stated that the project embodies the depth of bilateral cooperation and expressed a desire for the Egyptian President to visit Tanzania for the dam’s inauguration, citing it as a symbol of what a strong partnership can achieve.
The ministers also discussed the “growing momentum” in economic relations. Abdelatty noted the increasing interest of Egyptian investors and businessmen in the Tanzanian market, reflected by the rising number of Egyptian firms operating there and the frequency of trade and investment delegations.
On regional governance, the two sides emphasised the importance of coordinating on African Union (AU) institutional reform. They agreed that the reform process should be “systematic, gradual, and clear,” based on inclusivity and the participation of all member states to ensure AU bodies can perform their duties effectively.
Abdelatty also congratulated Kombo on the re-election of President Samia Suluhu Hassan for a second term, reaffirming Cairo’s readiness to provide further technical support and capacity-building through training courses in priority sectors.
The meeting was held in the presence of Tanzania’s Minister of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Palamagamba Kabudi.