Addis Ababa:Ethiopia has officially established the Nile and Red Sea Forum, a nationally recognized platform designed to mobilize intellectual, legal, and professional expertise to advance the country's strategic interests in the Nile River and sovereign sea access.
According to Ethiopian Press Agency, the Forum represents a significant institutional development in Ethiopia's efforts to enhance research, policy engagement, public awareness, and international advocacy on issues with historical, economic, legal, and geopolitical implications.
The Forum aims to bring together a diverse range of Ethiopian professionals, including scholars, lawyers, researchers, journalists, and economists, to transform individual expertise into coordinated contributions to national interests. Solomon Tefera, the Founder and Managing Director of the Ethiopia National Interest Forum, emphasized the initiative's focus on strengthening the country's intellectual capacity through organized research, professional engagement, and evidence-based advocacy.
The Forum's activities are centered around four main pillars research, training, consultancy, and diplomacy and advocacy. Research will explore the historical context of Ethiopia's loss of sea access and its implications, while training will focus on enhancing public understanding of water resources. The consultancy will engage Ethiopian scholars globally to provide research-based policy recommendations, while diplomacy and advocacy will aim to strengthen Ethiopia's regional and international engagements.
The Forum also plans to collaborate with universities and research institutions in Nile Basin and Red Sea countries to promote joint research and regional cooperation. Yonas Woldeyes, a legal consultant and the Forum's Media and Public Relations Communication Director, confirmed the organization's legal recognition and highlighted the importance of organized Ethiopian intellectual engagement on water and maritime issues.
The Forum's immediate priorities include raising public awareness, preparing policy recommendations, and engaging with international institutions to promote Ethiopia's interests. Both Solomon and Yonas emphasized the need for broad public understanding of these strategic issues, linking the initiative to the philosophy of Medemer and underscoring the importance of collective capabilities in addressing national challenges.
The establishment of the Forum comes amid increasing attention to the connections between shared water resources, maritime access, and regional cooperation, with a vision to strengthen Ethiopia's research capacity and contribute to informed and constructive engagement on issues crucial to the country's future.
