Ethiopia says disputed dam on the Nile that Egypt opposes has been completed

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (AD) – The Ethiopian prime minister said Thursday that the country’s controversial power dam on the Nile has been completed.

Egypt has long opposed dams for fear of depleting its share of the Nile river water. Egypt calls the dam known as the Greater Ethiopian Renaissance dam, an existing threat, as the Arab world’s most populous country relies almost exclusively on the Nile to supply water to agriculture and its more than 100 million people.

Ethiopia disputes this proposal.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his government is “preparing for the formal inauguration.”

“While some people think it should be destroyed by that moment, we reiterate our commitment: the dam will be revealed,” he said.

In his speech, Abiy said his country “still committed to ensuring our growth does not come at the expense of our Egyptian and Sudanese siblings.”