Ethiopia Completes Filling of Controversial Nile Dam, PM Says

(Bloomberg) --

Most Read from Bloomberg

• Trudeau Is Stuck in India With Faulty Aircraft After Hearing Criticism From Modi

• The Mighty American Consumer Is About to Hit a Wall, Investors Say

• Tesla and China Risk Leaving Volkswagen on a Road to Nowhere

• Tech Giants Power Stock Gains as Tesla Jumps 10%: Markets Wrap

• Morgan Stanley Sees Dojo Boosting Tesla’s Value by $500 Billion

Ethiopia completed the fourth and final filling of its contentious dam on the Nile River’s main tributary, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Sunday.

In a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Abiy said the process was finished despite “external pressure” and congratulated all who worked on the project.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has been a source of major friction between Ethiopia and downstream nations Egypt and Sudan. Cairo argues the project could sharply curtail its access to river flows that provide the North African nation with over 90% of its freshwater needs.

The Ethiopian premier and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi this summer agreed on moving ahead with talks related to finalizing the agreement about filling and operating the $5 billion dam.

The first official discussions between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan on the hydropower project in over a year ended without a breakthrough last month. Ethiopia says more talks are planned in its capital, Addis Ababa, in September.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

• Google’s Ties With Apple Under Spotlight in Antitrust Trial

• Huawei’s Surprise Phone Gives Ammo to Biden Doubters on China

• Lyme Disease Has Exploded, and a New Vaccine Is (Almost) Here

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.