WATANI International
10 April 2011
Among the several recent moves towards promoting understanding and cooperation between Egypt and the Nile Basin countries is a proposal by Awad Abbas, Professor of biochemistry at Cairo University’s department of Agriculture, and director of the university’s Centre for Open Education. Dr Awad presented his proposal to PM Essam Sharaf and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
Four-point plan
The proposal involves four main ideas. The first is the establishment of a distant learning university, the Nile Valley University, to be co-founded by all the Egyptian State universities and to offer degrees in business; law; economics and political science; information technology; international agriculture; and the art. Second is the launching of a satellite channel to be named “Nile Basin”.
The third idea is for both Egyptian universities to send convoys to Nile Basin countries to offer community service, especially in the fields of veterinary work, agriculture disciplines and health services. Fourth is a plan to establish a federation for sports in the Nile Valley, which would focus on enhancing joint sports activities and games among Nile Basin nations.
The last idea should see Egyptian investors set up an investment company that would work to integrate the requirements of the various Nile basin people regarding agricultural and livestock production, while making optimum use of the River Nile water and providing job opportunities for young people.
Catalytic measures
As professor of economics and consultant of the federation of economic development associations Mukhtar Sherif sees it, Dr Abbas’s ideas could be catalytic measures to help ease tensions between Egypt and other Nile Basin nations. The proposal is built on already existing efforts, since Egypt in 1959 established the African Union which included Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia and was expanded in 2002 to include all African states except Morocco.
“As for the satellite channel,” Dr Sherif says, “we must note that four of the Nile Basin countries are the poorest in the world, where there is no satellite broadcasting media. “I believe Egypt could make better use of its radio programmes in Swahili, which are already directed at African nations. More appealing songs and Egyptian films could be broadcast with Swahili voiceovers.”
Trade with these countries, Dr Sherif adds, is not so easy since there are no shipping lines between Egypt and East Africa. “Besides, the banking system in these countries is not well developed, which makes trade a difficult task,” he said.
Statistics indicate that Egyptian exports to Nile Basin countries totalled USD803 million in 2008, some 2.5 per cent of Egypt’s exports, while imports from Nile Basin countries amounted to about USD288 million. As far as numbers go, these figures are not too poor. But, Dr Sherif says, as far as detail goes, the goods exported by Egypt are almost the same as those exported by other Nile Basin countries, and its imports are similar to theirs. This means we need better solutions and newer prospects.