The remarks come as Egypt continues to promote cooperative approaches to Nile water management amid long-running disputes over unilateral actions in the Eastern Nile and efforts to revive consensus-based mechanisms within the basin-wide initiative.
During the meeting, FM Abdelatty congratulated Okello on President Yoweri Museveni’s re-election and Uganda’s assumption of the East African Community chairmanship, reaffirming the strong historical and strategic ties between Cairo and Kampala.
He highlighted the recent momentum in relations, particularly following Museveni’s visit to Cairo in August 2025, and said Egypt intends to build on this progress to expand political and economic cooperation.
Abdelatty underscored Egypt’s openness to boosting trade, investment, and economic ties with Uganda, particularly in infrastructure, energy, water resource management, and pharmaceuticals. He pointed to continued support for Egyptian companies operating in Uganda and efforts to enhance market access for Egyptian exports.
He pointed to ongoing cooperation in the health sector, including the development of an Egyptian medical centre in Jinja in partnership with the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development. He also called for increasing trade between the two countries and establishing a joint Egyptian–Ugandan business council to strengthen economic relations.
The minister further stressed the importance of expanding cultural and educational cooperation, including scholarships, university partnerships, and capacity-building programmes through Al-Azhar.
On water security, Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s position on the importance of cooperation and integration along the Nile to achieve mutual benefits, while rejecting unilateral actions in the Eastern Nile. He praised Uganda’s role in leading the consultative process within the Nile Basin Initiative and efforts supported at the ministerial level to restore consensus and advance development projects in line with international law.
The talks also addressed regional developments, with Abdelatty briefing his Ugandan counterpart on Egypt’s efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East and end the war in Gaza. Discussions also covered the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes region, Sudan, Somalia, and security in the Red Sea.
Both sides emphasized the importance of continued coordination to support peace, security, and stability across Africa, while preserving state sovereignty and strengthening national institutions in line with the continent’s development goals.
Egypt and Uganda are key Nile Basin countries whose relations have gained renewed momentum in recent years, driven by Cairo’s broader strategy to deepen engagement with African partners, particularly in East Africa and the Nile Basin.
Water security remains a central pillar of Egypt’s foreign policy, as the country depends on the Nile for more than 95 percent of its freshwater needs.
Cairo has consistently called for a cooperative, rules-based management of shared water resources and opposed unilateral measures in the Eastern Nile, particularly regarding Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), launched in 1999, was designed as a multilateral framework to promote dialogue, joint development, and equitable use of Nile waters among the basin’s 10 member states.
However, divisions among upstream and downstream countries in recent years have challenged its inclusivity and effectiveness, prompting efforts, supported by Egypt and partners such as Uganda, to revive consensus-driven cooperation mechanisms.
Uganda, which holds influence within both the Nile Basin and the East African Community, has played a role in facilitating consultative processes aimed at restoring coordination among member states and advancing development projects aligned with international water law.
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