Ethiopian minister upbeat about dam talks with Egypt
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy Alemayehu Tenegu says negotiations with Egypt and Sudan over the Renaissance Dam are improving.
CAIRO — Negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia over the controversial Renaissance Dam are “improving perfectly,” according to Ethiopian Minister for Water and Energy Alemayehu Tenegu.
On the sidelines of the technical negotiations among Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia regarding the Renaissance Dam, the minister explained that his country is planning on being the No. 1 energy exporting country for eastern Africa. He told Al-Monitor in an exclusive interview that Ethiopia is relying on loans and international donations as well as the mobilizing of the Ethiopian national economy to implement these projects.
Tenegu mentioned the political and technical undertakings made by the Ethiopian government since day one of the dam’s construction; not to damage the countries at the mouth of the Nile, in addition to the attempts to have a constructive dialogue with Egypt.
“We design our dams in a way that does not harm the countries of the mouth. This is our main principle for building dams,” he said.
