The Nile Basin Initiative has been developing rapidly since 1999. The shared vision of cooperation on the Nile between riparian states is now translating into joint actions on the ground under two subsidiary action programmes in the Eastern Nile and in the Nile Equatorial Lakes regions.

DFID is supporting two shared vision projects and the establishment of the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO) in Addis Ababa and is concerned to ensure that the NBI achieves its stated objective of helping to reduce poverty in Nile Basin countries.

Since 2001, WPP has been providing support to DFID's Nile Team to strengthen social development/assessment approaches under NBI projects, including project preparation on the Socio-economic Development and Benefit Sharing Project under the Shared Vision Programme, and the establishment of a Social Development Office and work programme as part of ENTRO's development.

In addition, since 2004 WPP has been leading project preparation -- with IUCN -- for the effective engagement of civil society (Nile Basin Discourse) within the Nile Basin Initiative. Other tasks undertaken to support DFID have included written and oral briefings to the Nile Team and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Sudan Unit and to external meetings in the UK and the Nile Secretariat in Entebbe, Uganda.