The Nile Basin covers an area of approximately 3.1 million km2, which represents some 10 percent of African continent. Ten countries share the river: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Five of these are among the poorest in the world. The Nile Basin is home to approximately 180 million people, while some 300 million live within the 10 riparian states. The Nile region is characterized by high population growth and considerable development challenges.

With 6,825 km, the Nile is the longest river in the world. But it is not a big river in terms of volume of water. The contrast between the size of the basin and the comparatively small volume of runoff is an important feature and among the main causes of the rising water scarcity concerns.

The Nile waters play a vital role in the socio-economic development of the Nile co-basin States. Agriculture is the dominant economic sector in most Nile riparians, and reliable access to water remains key to increasing agricultural productivity, providing employment, and to raising the standards of living of the people residing in the basin. The Nile also represents a vast resource for hydropower generation.

The Nile region is plagued by environmental degradation, armed strife, drought, and famine. Weak institutions and capacity, together with inadequate infrastructure conspire to perpetuate poverty. The Nile waters bear a tremendous potential as lever for social and economic development. Collaborative and sustainable development of the shared water resources can attract investment and assist in alleviating poverty. High demographic growth rates and accelerating environmental degradation narrow the window of opportunity to reverse the negative trends in the region. See system maps