Nile Basin Discourse

Welcoming a New Board — A New Chapter for the Nile Basin Discourse 🌍💧

Following the General Assembly held on 16 February 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda, the Nile Basin Discourse ushered in a new Board to guide its next phase of growth and regional engagement.

Ms. Aynalem Ashebir Gebrehiwot of Ethiopia was elected as Board Chairperson, succeeding Ms. Verdiane Nyiramana of Rwanda. Together with the new Board, she will provide leadership and strategic direction to strengthen civil society voices and advance cooperation across the Nile Basin over the next two years.

As Executive Director of Agri Service Ethiopia, Aynalem brings extensive experience in civil society leadership and regional dialogue. Her leadership also marks an important step forward for women in water governance, reinforcing the critical role women play in shaping inclusive and sustainable water decisions.

Congratulations to the new Board and to Chair Aynalem on this important responsibility.

🌍 NBD at the XIX World Water Congress — Marrakesh, Morocco

NBD participated in the XIX World Water Congress held in Marrakesh, Morocco, bringing together over 2,000 delegates from 80 countries.

In partnership with IWMI and IFPRI, NBD co-hosted a special session on "Novel Approaches to Nexus Management in Shared River Basins."

Our Regional Manager, Eng. Matemu, presented NBD's work on transboundary multi-stakeholder platforms - receiving strong appreciation and interest from organizations including FAO, AMCOW, the World Bank (MENA), INBO, IWMI, and IFPRI.

A great moment of visibility and new collaboration opportunities for NBD! 💧✨

🌿 NBD Concludes First Phase of Stakeholder Consultations in Sio-Siteko & Mara Basins 🌿

NBD has successfully completed the first round of stakeholder consultations for the Citizen-Led Data Generation initiative under the NCSCR Project, covering Sio-Siteko (Kenya–Uganda) and Mara (Kenya–Tanzania) wetlands.

Communities, CSOs, youth, women, and local leaders actively contributed to identifying key wetland challenges, priority data needs, and locally grounded solutions. Technical sessions and field visits, including in Tanzania–Mara, provided valuable insights into environmental pressures, climate impacts, and ongoing community-driven conservation efforts.

With this first phase complete, NBD is moving into the next stage: reconnaissance and prioritisation of challenges to design practical citizen-led monitoring tools and interventions for stronger wetland governance.

NBD Advances Citizen-Led Data Efforts in the Sio-Siteko Basin

This week, NBD held stakeholder consultations in the Sio-Siteko Basin, a vital transboundary wetland shared by Uganda and Kenya under the NCSCR project's Citizen-Led Data Generation and Management initiative.

The consultations in Busia District, Uganda, gathered insights that will guide the design of a locally grounded data framework aimed at improving wetland management and sustainability.

Key outcomes included stronger community commitment, alignment on priority data needs, identification of capacity gaps, and agreement on practical approaches for inclusive data collection and use. These inputs will help ensure that communities play a central role in monitoring, protecting, and restoring their shared wetland ecosystems.

Next stop ➡️ Kenya, as NBD continues fostering collaboration across borders for sustainable wetland management. 💧