The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has allayed concerns raised by the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Egypt, Ali Abdel-Aal, on the use of the River Nile whose basin is situated in Uganda, on Lake Victoria.
Third from right Speaker Rebecca Kadaga with Egypt Speaker Ali abdel-Aal on her right pose for a photo with MPs and Ambassadors of Uganda and Egypt to Serbia. Photo by Parliament of Uganda.
The
Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has allayed concerns raised by the Speaker
of the House of Representatives of Egypt, Ali Abdel-Aal, on the use of the River
Nile whose basin is situated on Lake Victoria in Uganda.
Kadaga said this during a bilateral meeting between the two Speakers on the sidelines of the
ongoing 141st Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Belgrade, Serbia.
She assured the Egyptian Speaker that Uganda had not taken any action that could
affect the use of the Nile waters by Egypt, noting that the water body was their
major source of livelihood.
"I
have discussed this issue with President Yoweri Museveni and I want to bring
the reassurance of my Government that nothing will happen unless all
stakeholders have a consensus," said Kadaga.
She
also highlighted the need to revive the Nile Basin Association to improve
cordial relations among the Nile Basin Member States.
"Here
at the IPU Assembly, we have been talking about the need for parliamentary diplomacy,
resuscitating this Association that was introduced about 10 years ago should
be a highlight of our Parliamentary work," added Kadaga.
Speaker
Ali Abdel-Aal noted that the Nile was a major contributor to Egypt's
national economy, noting that the proposed construction of the Reconnaissance
Dam in Ethiopia could affect them, thus the need for Uganda's support.
"Egypt
is entitled to 55.5 billion gallons of water according to an international
treaty signed in 1929 where the population was only 20 million people. We now
have a population of 104 million people but we still get the same amount of
water," noted Ali Abdel-Aal.
He
added that it would only be prudent for the Reconnaissance Dam in Ethiopia to
be built over a period of 7 years to allow sufficient flow of water to Egypt.
Kadaga
also commended Egypt's support to Uganda through its companies like the Arab
Contractors among others, adding that Uganda had a lot to learn from Egypt with
regards to construction.
"I
have told Parliament severally that we need to encourage more of these
companies to come and set up base in Uganda so that we can create more
employment opportunities for our people," said Kadaga.
She
also held a bilateral meeting with the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly
of Turkey Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi Baskanı, where she called for better
trade relations.
"Mr.
Speaker, our Ugandans who are doing trade with Turkey have often faced double
taxation. We need your support on this matter, and also to encourage more
exports from Uganda to Turkey so that we can benefit mutually," said
Kadaga.
Millet
Meclisi commended Kadaga for her work in fighting for the rights women, girls
and youth in Uganda, and also committed to follow up a Memorandum of
Understanding to improve legislative practices between the two countries.