The giant dam on the Nile

Ethiopia has completed its mega dam on the Nile

After 14 years of construction and a budget equivalent to more than 40 billion kronor, Ethiopia says it has completed its controversial giant dam on the Nile River, reports the BBC.

Ethiopia says the dam, which is Africa's largest, is needed to reduce the country's enormous energy needs. Around 60 percent of the country's population currently has no access to electricity.

The dam is very controversial and downstream, in Egypt and Sudan, the opposition has been enormous. The countries are concerned that water flows will be negatively affected. Egypt has stated that a two percent reduction in flow could lead to the loss of 200,000 hectares of arable land.

Abiy Ahmed tries to calm: “The dam is not a threat”

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed calls for dialogue with Sudan and Egypt after Ethiopia completed its controversial dam on the Nile.

“To our downstream neighbors – Egypt and Sudan – our message is clear: the Renaissance Dam is not a threat, but a shared opportunity,” he writes.

The Nile is vital to Egypt and Sudan, which have long been concerned about the potential consequences of the dam. Abiy Ahmed hopes to pour oil on the waves.

“We believe in shared development, shared energy and shared water. Prosperity for one should mean prosperity for all,” he writes.