This publication outlines key aspects of the Nile Basin’s history, geography and politics before looking at some of the legal, socioeconomic and development challenges that lie ahead. Exploring the challenges inherent in shifting from cooperation to development, the paper concludes by suggesting that a further – perhaps even more important - challenge lies ahead in terms of ensuring that development processes set in train require clear links to poverty reduction within the basin. Without these, there would be a disconnection between the goals of dispute resolution, the move to cooperation, the transition to development and the achievement of benefits for all throughout the basin.