Face of Truth: Water Resources… A Ministry That Lost Its Standing..!
Ibrahim Shaghlawi
Ministerial decision No. (10) of 2025, appointing a technical director to the office of the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation to oversee the irrigation and water resources sector, has sparked widespread controversy, as it carries implications that go beyond administrative aspects to political dimensions that touch on the redistribution of power within the executive apparatus, and affect a sovereign position that has long been one of the pillars of Sudanese national security.
The step that transformed the Ministry of Water Resources into a technical unit under the office of the Minister of Agriculture effectively means stripping this sector of its technical and political independence, without a clear declaration of tasks and responsibilities, and without guaranteeing its position within the sovereign structure of the state. This has raised real concerns about a flaw in the state’s strategic vision regarding its most vital resource… Observers have deemed it a catastrophic matter.
The Ministry of Water Resources is not an ordinary institution; it is one of Sudan’s oldest sovereign institutions, established in the early twentieth century alongside major projects like the Gezira Project. Over more than a hundred years, it has managed some of the most complex and sensitive files, both domestically and regionally — from operating six major dams and hundreds of hydraulic structures, to managing the water supply for millions of acres, and leading cross-border files such as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the Nile Basin Agreements. This is in addition to major projects awaiting implementation like Kenana, Rahad, and new dams.
Therefore, reducing it to a mere technical administration can only be interpreted as a serious regression from the principle of sovereignty over water resources, and a weakening of institutional stability in a sector considered a cornerstone of national security. This, by no means, diminishes the qualifications of Engineer Dr. Ahmed Hayati, who is regarded as a rare talent capable of leadership and is seen as a natural candidate to lead an independent Ministry of Water Resources — once it is reinstated as a sovereign institution in its own right. The real problem lies in the downsizing of the institution, not in the selection of the man.
This was confirmed in a symposium by the Alumni Association of the Delft Institute for Water Education, attended by more than 118 experts in the fields of water and agriculture. They warned that any dismantling of the independent institutional structure of water resources would weaken the state’s ability to face the challenges of climate change, manage drought, negotiate on the GERD issue, and rehabilitate water infrastructure damaged by war.
The seriousness of the situation is exacerbated by the absence of the specialized minister from Prime Minister Dr. Kamal Idris’s recent delegation to Cairo, which partially addressed water security, the GERD, and the Nile Basin Initiative. This absence is seen as a further indicator of the declining institutional status of the water sector — at a time when the country urgently needs a strong presence and independent decision-making in this file.
This absence amid such highly sensitive issues can only be read as further evidence of the institutional fragility of the water sector at present — something that should have been reason enough to reconsider the organization of this strategic sector within the state’s structures.
Therefore, many are closely watching recent talk of a possible establishment of an independent ministry named “Ministry of Water Resources and Environment”, considering it a necessary step to fill the institutional vacuum and protect Sudan’s water security. Alternatives could also be considered, such as a sovereign Water Council directly linked to the Prime Minister’s office or the Sovereignty Council, to ensure the independence of water-related decisions from narrow sectoral interests.
Thus, according to #Face_of_Truth, we arrive at a regrettable juncture in the “story of a ministry that lost its standing.” Reducing the Ministry of Water Resources to a technical administration comes at a time when Sudan’s water challenges are intensifying — from the complexities of the GERD and Nile Basin negotiations to the impacts of climate change and resource scarcity. The absence of an independent, cohesive entity to manage this file weakens Sudan’s negotiating position and undermines its ability to develop sustainable water security strategies.
Wishing you well and in good health.
Thursday, August 14, 2025
Shglawi55@gmail.com
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