Egypt has partnered with the American University in Cairo (AUC) to strengthen water management and climate resilience skills across Africa through a new capacity-building initiative targeting professionals from Nile Basin countries and beyond.
The programme, known as Building Climate Leadership Excellence for African Resilience (BCLEAR), will be implemented through a collaboration between Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and AUC. The agreement was signed by the ministry’s Nile Water Affairs Sector and the university in the presence of Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam.
The initiative aims to develop a network of African trainers and technical specialists who will be equipped to share knowledge and best practices within their respective institutions, helping to expand expertise in water, agriculture and climate-related sectors across the continent. Under the programme, four training-of-trainers courses will be organised in Egypt and selected Nile Basin countries. While some sessions will bring participants from different African nations to Egypt, additional programmes are scheduled to take place in Uganda and Rwanda in partnership with local research and technical institutions.
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Water-energy-food-ecosystems
Participants will receive training in climate-smart agriculture, sustainable water resource management, crop and irrigation practices, and integrated planning approaches designed to improve the management of natural resources. The curriculum will also focus on the water-energy-food-ecosystems (WEFE) nexus, a framework that promotes coordinated decision-making across sectors that are closely linked to economic growth, environmental sustainability and food security.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Sewilam said African countries face many shared challenges related to water scarcity, climate change, food production and sustainable development. He noted that stronger cooperation and knowledge-sharing among countries can help build more resilient institutions and improve the ability of governments and communities to respond to these pressures.
The American University in Cairo will provide academic and research support for the programme, while Egypt’s water ministry and partner institutions in participating countries will contribute technical expertise and practical experience. According to the ministry, the collaboration is intended to ensure that training activities respond to local development needs while encouraging cross-border learning and cooperation.
The launch of BCLEAR comes as Egypt holds the presidency of the African Water Facility (AWF), a position Cairo says it will use to promote regional collaboration, skills development and institutional strengthening. The initiative also reflects Egypt’s growing emphasis on technical cooperation and capacity-building as part of its broader engagement with African countries on water security, climate adaptation and sustainable development.
