Face of Truth | Dr. Ibrahim Shaglawi Water Security… Partnership or a Missed Opportunity?
Water has become an important issue, closely linked to national security, social and food stability, and the ability of states to protect their resources and transform them into productive and developmental power. Accordingly, the memorandum of understanding signed by Sudan and Egypt in Cairo on Monday, November 2, 2026, concerning the implementation of development projects in Sudan’s water resources sector, carries strategic significance. It opens broader prospects for rebuilding the water partnership between the two countries on the basis of mutual interests and the integration of capabilities and expertise, in addressing the challenges of water security and sustainable development.
The memorandum includes the rehabilitation of water facilities damaged by the war, foremost among them the Jebel Aulia Dam, flood protection, the construction of rainwater harvesting facilities, the establishment of solar-powered groundwater stations, the control of aquatic weeds, as well as training, capacity building, and the exchange of expertise. It comes as an extension of bilateral coordination on water issues and in implementation of the outcomes of the meeting of the Joint High Coordination Committee on Water Affairs between the two countries last February.
In my view, the value of this step lies in the extent to which it responds to Sudan’s actual needs and its ability to move from understandings to implementation on the ground. Sudan faces a complex challenge: water facilities requiring rehabilitation, rural communities lacking reliable water sources, and an agricultural sector in need of infrastructure that enhances production and mitigates the effects of climate change and war.
In this context, it is necessary to draw attention to the absence of a clear program for rehabilitating water-harvesting dams, whose maintenance has been suspended since 2019, according to sources. These facilities represent a lifeline for broad communities, providing water for people and livestock, supporting agriculture and pastoralism, and reducing competition over resources. This helps limit local conflicts and create conditions for the return and stability of displaced people. Therefore, including them among the priorities of cooperation would be a development contribution with a direct impact on restoring life to Sudan’s rural areas.
At the level of the strategic vision between the two countries, the partnership could go beyond maintaining existing facilities to examining investment opportunities in major water projects, including the Kajbar, Dal, and Al-Shireik dams along the Nile.
These projects offer opportunities to generate electricity and enhance energy security, but they require updated technical, economic, environmental, and social studies that keep pace with changing circumstances. Despite the measures included in previous studies to mitigate the impacts of displacement and resettlement and to protect antiquities and the environment, there remains a need to develop these measures, involve affected communities, and ensure fair compensation and secure livelihoods, drawing on lessons from past experiences.
The experience of the Julius Nyerere Dam and Hydropower Station in Tanzania offers an important model of what Egyptian implementation capabilities can contribute to major infrastructure projects. The Egyptian consortium, comprising Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric, implemented the project with a generating capacity of 2,115 megawatts, with Egyptian engineers and technicians working alongside laborers. The Tanzanian government financed the project, while the Egyptian consortium undertook its implementation, demonstrating engineering and execution expertise that could be utilized in Sudanese projects.
This is particularly relevant given that Sudan has accumulated significant national and institutional expertise in the field through the construction of Merowe Dam, the heightening of Roseires Dam, the implementation of the Upper Atbara and Setit dams, as well as water-harvesting dams. This expertise should be an integral part of any future cooperation. The desired partnership is not a one-way transfer of expertise, nor a relationship between donor and recipient, but rather an interaction between accumulated Sudanese experience and Egyptian implementation and investment capabilities, in a way that enhances joint efficiency, builds national capacities, and preserves the independence of development decision-making.
Perhaps most importantly, this memorandum offers an opportunity to redefine Sudanese-Egyptian integration on more realistic and mature foundations, based on shared interests, complementary roles, and the exchange of expertise, in light of previous experiences. Genuine integration is not built on influence or dependency, but on each party’s ability to contribute what it has and achieve what it needs, while respecting national sovereignty and balancing mutual interests. This is what the peoples of the Nile Valley aspire to in a distinguished relationship that goes beyond political courtesies toward tangible and sustainable development projects.
From the perspective of #Face_of_Truth, water security is not achieved merely by building dams or signing memoranda of understanding, but by possessing a national vision that determines how water is managed, where it is invested, and how it is transformed into production, stability, and opportunities for life. If Egyptian expertise meets Sudanese resources and expertise, and political, economic, and developmental will converge within the framework of an equal partnership, this memorandum could become a promising beginning for a genuine strategic project—one that does not merely repair what the war has destroyed, but lays the foundations for a more secure and prosperous future for the peoples of the Nile Valley.
Wishing you continued well-being and good health.
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Shglawi55@gmail.com