蜜芽传媒

Africa's biggest hydroelectric project - Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile - has started generating electricity for the first time.The Ethiopian government insists it will transform the national economy, which has been severely damaged by drought and war when it is fully operational, but the dam's construction has led to discord with Egypt and Sudan as there are concerns it could affect water supplies downstream.

Ethiopia has been diverting Nile water to fill a vast reservoir behind the dam. Egypt, which lies downstream and depends almost completely on the Nile for its irrigation and drinking water, is worried this will affect the levels of water flowing into the country. Sudan is also worried about how the dam will affect its water levels.

John Mukum Mbaku, a Professor of Economics at Weber University in the US and a senior fellow of the Brookings Institute, explains why the dam is so important to Ethiopia in its provision of electricity for its citizens but could be devastating for its downstream neighbours. He says that Ethiopia has stated that once the reservoir is filled, it will have no more use for water.

"[Egypt and Sudan] are afraid that Ethiopia will become a gatekeeper of their access to water. Rivers originating in Ethiopia contribute more than 86 percent of the water that flows into the Nile river."

Photo: Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, in the Benishangul Gumuz Region Credit: Getty Images

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