Around 90 percent of Africa’s surface water lies within shared international basins, requiring strict adherence to international water law, data sharing, and prior consultation on transboundary projects, Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam said Tuesday.

Speaking at Cairo Water Week during a session on the Africa Water Vision 2063, Sewilam noted that the Nile River supplies roughly 98 percent of Egypt’s total water resources.

He emphasized that national water security should not come at the expense of other basin nations, pointing to Egypt’s review of 36 downstream Nile projects.

Sewilam called for a unified African stance ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference to secure sustainable financing and development.