Egypt, AUC sign deal on African water, climate training
Egypt’s Water Resources and Irrigation Ministry and the American University in Cairo (AUC) signed an agreement on Wednesday to implement a programme to build climate and water-management capacity among African professionals, the ministry said.
The programme, titled Building Climate-Leadership Excellence for African Resilience (BCLEAR), will focus on capacity-building and knowledge exchange among African institutions and professionals, particularly in Nile Basin countries.
“The BCLEAR Programme translates Egypt’s strong cooperation with Nile Basin countries into practical capacity-building and knowledge-exchange programmes, through training programmes in Egypt, Uganda, and Rwanda,” the ministry said.
It will include four Training of Trainers programmes, with sessions in Egypt for African professionals as well as programmes in Uganda and Rwanda, in cooperation with specialised research and technical institutions in the participating countries, the ministry said.
Training will cover climate-smart agriculture, sustainable water resources management, crop and water management, the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus, and integrated resource planning.
BCLEAR aims to establish a network of African trainers and experts who can transfer the knowledge gained to their national institutions, broadening access to technical expertise across participating countries.
Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hany Swailem said African countries face similar challenges involving water, climate change, food security, and development, making cooperation and the exchange of expertise important.
He said Nile Basin countries have diverse technical expertise that can be shared and developed through greater cooperation, helping strengthen ties between national institutions and professionals.
The minister stressed that Egypt views its relations with African countries, particularly Nile Basin countries, as longstanding relations among countries “belonging to one African family and one Nile Basin family.”
The partnership with AUC combines the ministry’s technical and institutional expertise with the university’s academic, training, and research capabilities, Swailem said.
The programme is also being implemented during Egypt’s presidency of the African Water Facility (AWF), with Swailem saying Egypt would use its presidency to support African cooperation, capacity-building, and knowledge exchange.
The African Water Facility (AWF) is an initiative of the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), hosted and managed by the African Development Bank (AfDB). Established in 2006, it helps African countries mobilise and use resources for water and sanitation projects. Egypt assumed the AWF presidency in April 2025 for a two-year term.