Implementing the WEFE Nexus in the Arab Region

A framework that highlights the interconnectedness of the water, energy, and food sectors has been central to discussions on sustainable development in the Arab world. Known as the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus approach, many Arab countries have designed programmes turning it from theory into policy and practice.

Pilots in countries like Egypt, UAE, and Morocco, have shown measurable results. In Egypt, water recycling projects produce around 21 billion cubic metres of water annually, while the United Arab Emirates aim to produce 90 to 100 % of its desalinated water using renewable energy by 2030.

The WEFE nexus framework focuses on the interdependencies among vital sectors instead of treating each sector in isolation. For example, water is essential for both agriculture and energy production, while energy is needed to extract, treat, and distribute water, and to power food production and processing.

For the Arab region, the nexus framework is critical due to the chronic water scarcity combined with the reliance on energy exports, and the growing dependency on food imports. The region's arid climate and rapid population growth drain the limited water resources, making it a necessity to manage water, energy, and food systems in a coordinated manner.

Many countries have incorporated this framework into their projects and policies. The UAE issued its National Energy and Water Demand Management Programme in 2021, as part of the Energy Strategy 2050 and the Water Security Strategy 2036, to increase efficiency in the three major energy-consuming sectors: transportation, industry, and construction by 40%.

At COP 27, Egypt launched the National Platform for Green Projects “NWFE” to mobilize climate finance and attract private sector investments for green projects. Morocco launched its National Strategy for Sustainable Development, and incorporated the WEFE nexus approach in its project "Management of Interconnections in Mediterranean Coastal Areas," to address the interconnected challenges of water, energy, food, and ecosystems in coastal areas.

While there is significant interest, and multiple projects linking the water, energy, and food sectors, the application of the framework is still not uniform across the Arab region. “Each country implements the nexus according to its specific requirements and the internal availability of its resources,” says Inas El-Gafy, Director of the Strategic Research Unit at Egypt’s National Water Research Centre. “The full-scale application of this theory remains largely confined to research centres, which highlights a persistent gap between the theoretical concept and the practical implementation,” she adds.

Each country has its own approach for the WEFE nexus implementation. The UAE relies on technology, integrating renewable energy solutions with water desalination and agri-tech innovations. Within its National Energy and Water Demand Management, the UAE launched Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the Green Hydrogen Project, and the Bustanica vertical farm in Dubai, which are designed to connect desalination plants with renewable energy sources and consume the lowest possible water rate in agriculture.

The UAE’s Sustainable Development Strategy encourages farms to achieve sustainable management of water and energy resources from the outset. This approach aims to produce food with minimal water usage and rely on renewable energy. Dubai’s Bustanica vertical farm demonstrates this principle, with its vegetable production  using 95% less water than traditional agriculture.

Egypt approaches the nexus framework through large scale water reuse projects, backed by NWFE platform to secure funding. The total amount of recycled water in Egypt is estimated at  21 billion cubic metres annually, mainly for agricultural purposes. Some of the nexus-led projects include the Bahr El Baqar Wastewater Treatment Plant, which produces 5.6 million cubic meters of irrigation water per day, with the aim of reclaiming 400,000 feddans in the Suez Canal region using treated agricultural, sanitary, and industrial wastewater. Another project is the Mahsama Wastewater Treatment Plant, which has a daily capacity of one million cubic metres, for the purpose of reclaiming 42,800 feddans in Sinai.

Morocco’s approach is more policy-led, embedding the nexus framework into its national Sustainable Development Strategy, to improve the efficiency of water and energy resources and promote a sustainable agricultural sector. Another example is ‘Aquifer Contract’, a participatory framework to manage groundwater sustainably while balancing the nexus domains. This tool is a demonstration of integrating resource management within national policies to address water scarcity, agricultural demands, and ecosystem protection, putting nexus principles and policies into practice.

Despite the local WEFE approaches in the region, the framework applications remain distant from the theory's ambitious goals. 

The full implementation of the framework is limited by the governance and legislative needed to coordinate between water, energy, and food sectors, according to Hussein El-Atfy, Secretary-General of the Arab Water Council. 

Funding is another challenge. From one perspective, it’s “difficult to create incentives for the private sector to invest in the proposed projects,” says, El-Atfy, and from the other is meeting the requirements of the funding agencies. The incentives are challenging as investment must address multiple interconnected sectors at the same time, which involves complex investment structures, and unknown economic returns compared to single-sector projects.

Funding is more difficult with the WEFE Nexus because investments must address multiple, sectors simultaneously, which involves far more complex investment structures, longer payback periods, and obstacles to demonstrating straightforward economic returns compared to single-sector projects.

Many organizations have invested in initiatives to build capacities, and to attract foreign investment for such projects, and as many pilots have shown encouraging outcomes, experts believe that embedding WEFE nexus into law and practice can transform water from a source of vulnerability into the foundation of future security, as Jauad El-Kharraz explains in the next story.

Sign-up to receive our e-alert update every two weeks to keep up with everything new on the portal.