South Sudan called on the Nile Basin Initiative members to address the Nile water problems in harmony and solidarity.
Government spokesperson Barnaba Marial Benjamin told the Nile Council of Ministers in Juba on Thursday that they should resolve the water sharing problems in cooperation among all riparian countries.National Water Resource and Irrigation Minister Paul Mayom Akech said the country will develop its water resources in order to eradicate abject poverty.
He added that in the past years South Sudan experienced erratic rainfalls and recurrent floods and drought that affected negatively food production and the achievement of millennium development goals.
Mr Mayom said South Sudan joint the Nile Basin Initiative or NBI because the country believes in working with partners to address challenges from common water resources.
He reaffirmed South Sudan’s commitment to work with the NBI countries.
NBI Executive Director Teferra Bayene said the annual council of ministers meeting is a major event in the NBI calendar.
He added that it gives the management an opportunity to brief the governance on the progress to implement programmes and present working plans and the budget for the coming year for approval.
South Sudan assumed the NBI leadership until June 2014.