Institutions in the Nile Basin: Extending the Present State of Transboundary Affairs

This chapter aims to introduce the various Nile Basin institutions and specifically highlight an enlarged institutional landscape in the Nile Basin in view of recent legacies of river basin development, cooperation, and conflicts. It argues that Nile River institutions have evolved significantly in recent decades, particularly those institutions connected to the river and those connected to the wider basin (i.e., working on larger issues pertinent to the economic development of the Nile Basin). However, since the last decade, these institutions have faced significant challenges associated with the failure to advance a basin-wide legal framework for cooperation, and the rise of unilateralism and geopolitical disputes. Finally, the chapter discusses the need for an extended view of Nile institutions and discusses ways forward for strengthening the institutional arrangements for cooperation along the Nile, including cross-cutting issues beyond the river.