Gulf News reported that Dubai Ethiopia controversial multi billion dollar dam will not restrict the flow of the Nile waters to Egypt and Sudan.

Mr Tadesse Haile Ethiopia’s Minister of Industry said that the Grand Millennium Dam, USD 4.5 billion hydroelectric project will allow Ethiopia to export electricity to its neighbors and regulate the flow of the Nile to them. The fact that we are building this dam has nothing to do with [our] neighboring countries in fact it is in favour of them. It has no negative impact on water usage.

Ethiopia is the source of 85% of the Nile’s flow and was involved in a long standing dispute with Egypt over the sharing of the river’s water. Mr Haile insisted that the dam would not reduce the Nile’s flow to Egypt and Sudan.

He said that it is not the case. By the way, Egypt and Sudan will be enjoying the regulation of the water. Hydropower does not consume water, it only regulates it, leaves the water to flow. Without this dam the water could have flown and Egypt and Sudan could suffer as a result of unregulated water by way of a flood which was the case in the past.”

Egypt and Ethiopia will likely sign an agreement to use Nile water on fair and equitable terms once a democratic government is elected in Egypt. The tense political relationship between Egypt and Ethiopia over water issues is likely to thaw with the new administration in Egypt, given that the former president Hosni Mubarak’s government was locked in a stalemate with upstream countries over the rationing of Nile water.

Definitely, the previous government mentality thought it could benefit by creating a rift between countries. Egypt and Ethiopia are neighboring countries that enjoy a long historical and cultural relationship.

Ethiopia and other upstream countries Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have banded together to rewrite a 1959 treaty that favors Egypt on the issue of Nile water usage. The Grand Millennium Dam, which is currently under construction and expected to generate over 5,000 MW of electricity will change Ethiopia’s economic prospects.

Mr Haile said that it is really going to contribute to the development of the country. It cost USD 4.5 billion it’s a huge project. It will have a significant impact on the growth and development of the country. As you know, it could be a source of creating competitiveness because energy becomes very important in the future development of any country. It will put Ethiopia on a high and will avail electric power for our future development.

He said that by then we would also be in a position to be a net exporter of electricity to neighboring countries including Sudan, Egypt, Kenya, Djbouti and so on.

(Sourced from Gulf News)