The leaders of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have agreed to continue their cooperation in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project (GERD) following a meeting at the end of January. To make further progress on outstanding GERD issues and nurture tripartite relations, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, President Omar al- Bashir and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, agreed that: the heads of state would meet on an annual basis going forward; would explore a mechanism for the establishment of a tripartite fund aimed at enhancing cooperation through the realisation of common infrastructure projects connecting the three countries; and would establish a permanent technical committee to discuss all issues related to the GERD, specifically focusing on the filling and operation of the dam, with a view to reporting these results back to the leaders in one month.