Addis Ababa, August 15 (ENA)--The minister of water resource development says donor countries have pledged to provide 140 million US dollars to help the implementation of the Shared Vision projects in the frame work of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI).

Sheferaw Jarso said the stated sum would be used for detail study and preliminary works of the projects.

The minister was speaking here on Wednesday at the opening of a national training workshop discussing on the international water law and conflict resolution mechanism.

He said the shared vision projects within the NBI was formed with a view to sharing the Nile waters equitably among riparian nations.

He said the initiatives of donor countries to provide about three billion US Dollars for the implementation of the first phase of the project on trans-boundary rivers and lakes was encouraging .

The first phase of the project would be implemented in the riparian countries including Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan, he indicated.

The riparian states have been undertaking activities related to capacity building and legal and administrative framework creation to enable them implement the projects designed, he said

According to the minister, the workshop was part of Ethiopia's effort to strengthen the country's legal and administrative institutions aimed at playing due roles within the shared vision program.

Legal expert of the trans-boundary rivers study department with the ministry, Mussa Mohammed said on his part that the workshop would raise the awareness of professionals to the effectiveness of the shared vision program.

Hydrology department head with the ministry Kedane Assefa said Ethiopia has plan to undertake the construction of 13 power generating dams and develop 590,000 hectares of land through irrigation in line with the agreements of the riparian states.

The World Food program has been providing financial ,technical and material support for riparian states' capacity building, while donor agencies would provide fund through the world Bank for project preparation and implementation, according to coordinators of the workshop.

Participants drawn from pertinent governmental and non- governmental organizations higher learning institutions and entrepreneurs were in attendance at the three-day workshop.

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