The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is a partnership of the riparian states effective 1999; it seeks to develop the river in a cooperative manner, share substantial socioeconomic benefits, and promote regional peace and security through its shared vision of “sustainable socioeconomic development through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from, the common Nile Basin water resources”. The NBI is based in Entebbe, Uganda; it includes Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Eritrea is participating actively in the NBI as an observer.
The Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) is one of two investment programs under the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI). The other is the Eastern Nile Subsidiary Action Program (ENSAP). NELSAP promotes investments in power development and trade, river basin management and development, agricultural trade and productivity and fisheries and watershed management.

NELSAP oversees the implementation of jointly identified projects and promotes cooperative inter-country and in-country investment projects related to the common use of the Nile Basin’s water resources; it enhances investments in power development and trade and water resources management and development. NELSAP countries include: Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. NELSAP has demonstrated effectiveness in the coordination of multi-country preparation of complex regional projects.

The NELSAP mission is to “contribute to the eradication of poverty, promotion of economic growth and reversal of environmental degradation” in the Nile Equatorial Lakes Region. The role and mandate of NELSAP is to ‘facilitate, support and strengthen the identification, preparation and implementation supervision processes for NELSAP projects for the benefit of all riparian countries’ (NELSAP Policy Guidelines, Annex 2).
NELSAP facilitates identification, preparation and implementation supervision and facilitation of resource mobilization for investment projects in two sub-programs with each sub-program comprising a number of projects. Identification and preparation of new projects is an ongoing process.