The Nile Council of Ministers (Nile-COM) charged with water affairs from all the nine riparian countries are scheduled to meet in Egypt some time next month in their annual assembly.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Minister for Water, Jose Endundu, announced the Egypt meeting over the weekend at the end of the Nile-Com extraordinary meeting in Kinshasa.

Endundu is the current chairperson of the Nile-COM.

"The Nile Council of Ministers will meet in Egypt next month and that is when DRC will be handing over the chairmanship to Egypt,” said Endundu. He added that top on the agenda of the meeting will be the final signing of the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA).

"After the adoption of the CFA, the next step is signing it, and this is likely to be done during the Egypt meeting,” added Endundu.

Pundits have predicted that Egypt’s taking over of the Nile-Com Chair means a lot to the region since the North African country has for long been at the centre of controversy with other countries in areas of Nile water security.

Egypt uses the biggest volume of Nile waters mainly in irrigation.

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