The new centre is equipped with the latest rain forecast systems and will be concerned with studying climate change in DR Congo, Egypt's Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati said in a statement.

The centre will contribute to protecting Congolese citizens from probable sudden climate disasters, Abdel-Ati said.

Egypt will train the Congolese staff at the centre on dealing with rain/flood forecasts and aerial imagery systems, Abdel-Ati noted.

Egyptian experts will also train the staff on the Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the hydrologic modelling, and on writing specialised technical reports.

Experts from the Egyptian irrigation ministry will soon travel to Kinshasa to install the devices as a final preparation for the experimental operation of the centre, the statement read.

The center will be officially inaugurated by the end of May in the attendance of ministers from both sides.

Egypt established the Kinshasa centre to transfer its expertise in the field of the integrated management of water resources to the brotherly Nile Basin countries, the statement cited Abdel-Ati as saying.

The minister added that these steps aim to help Nile Basin countries maximise their use of Nile water resources.

Abdel-Ati said Egypt and DR Congo signed a protocol for technical cooperation in the water resources field, under which the “Integrated Management for Water Resources” project is implemented in DR Congo.

The project is carried out via an Egyptian grant to maximise DR Congo’s use of water resources and boost its capability to manage these resources, Abdel-Ati added.

The minister stated that there are many water and electricity linkage projects Egypt has implemented in Nile Basin countries over the past years.

These include the establishment of rainwater harvesting dams and underground drinking water treatment plants to provide clean drinking water to remote areas that are far from the sources of water. 

Egypt also established fish farms and river marinas to serve citizens in Nile Basin countries.

Egypt contributed to the funding, construction, and planning of Jabal Awliya dam in Sudan, the Owen Falls dam in Uganda, the Rufiji dam in Tanzania and the Wau multi-purpose dam project in South Sudan, Abdel-Ati added.