Ethiopia Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen has urged riparian states including Kenya to expedite the coming into force of the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA)

The agreement is expected to end disputes surrounding the utilisation of the River Nile.

Speaking during a forum on equitable and reasonable utilisation of the Nile water resource on Monday, Mekonnen, who is also the Foreign Affairs minister, noted that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been subjected to undue politicisation and pressure, even though it does not cause any significant harm to any of the riparian countries.

This is yet another indication of why we need to expedite the setting up of a basin-wide legal and institutional framework," he said.

The three-day conference is expected to deliberate on Ethiopia and the basin's efforts toward self-sufficiency using the Nile water resources.

According to conference organisers, the key agenda focuses on the efforts of the upper and lower riparian countries in changing the lives of their citizens for the better with a fair share of the Nile resources.

River Nile River is a source of livelihood for millions of people who live along its banks in Ethiopia alone and accounts for two-thirds of the nation's surface water, according to the minister.

Mekonnen (below) said man-made and natural issues affect the sustainable use of resources causing tension among countries and communities.

He urged researchers in the region to undertake joint scientific studies on the ways of agreeing on equity in the basin.

The conference on equitable and reasonable utilisation of the Nile water resources comes weeks after the Ethiopian government expressed its willingness to negotiate with Egypt and Sudan over the GERD dispute.

Ethiopia argues that the problems around the dam can only be resolved in "fraternal ways".

However, some of the delegates participating in the forum accused the African union of playing a marginal role over the dispute relating to the filling and operationalisation of the dam.

Ethiopia has already completed the third phase of filing the reservoir for the dam, further straining relations with Egypt and Sudan.