Ethiopia will continue building its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile river, its Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, despite continuing protest from Egypt.
The comments appeared to respond to Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Wednesday calling on Arab nations to step in to settle the dispute over the dam.
An Ethiopian statement said that as "the Nile is an African river”, the dispute therefore must be settled through the African Union.
Mr Shoukry addressed an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Wednesday during which he invited the member states to put pressure on Ethiopia to stop its “unilateral and unco-operative practices and embrace the necessary political will to accept one of the compromise solutions offered on the negotiating table”.
Thursday's Ethiopian statement stressed that the dispute must stop being presented before non-African bodies such as the United Nations Security Council and the Arab League.
“It is an African dispute and its solution will be Africa,” it said.
Cairo, which fears that the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will jeopardise its share of vital Nile water, the primary source for the country’s 104 million population, has continuously appealed to foreign actors to mediate in the dispute with Addis Ababa.
However, this was the first time the Egyptians had brought the issue before an Arab coalition.
After repeated negotiations, the last round of which took place in 2021, both sides have thus far failed to reach a binding agreement on the dam’s operation. Addis Ababa hopes to use the dam to generate and sell electricity to its power-starved Nile-basin neighbours. It has repeatedly asserted that the dam is a necessity as 60 per cent of its people live without access to power.
Ethiopia has consistently refused to be bound by an agreement but said it was open to “recommendations” from Egypt on the running of the dam. It maintains it has rights over the river’s main tributary, the Blue Nile, due to its origin at the country's Lake Tana.
Mr Shoukry later said at a Wednesday news conference that Ethiopia must be made to realise that there is a joint Arab position on the dispute and that Addis Ababa has bilateral interests with Arab nations that it must safeguard.
“The dispute over the Renaissance Dam is linked to Arab national security,” he said.
Cairo has also completed a number of infrastructure projects for Nile-basin countries in a bid to gain their support in the dispute with Ethiopia.
In December, the Julius Nyerere dam, an Egyptian-made project in south-east Tanzania, underwent its first filling, which was lauded as a milestone in Egypt’s effort to bolster its foothold in Africa.
Additionally, Egyptian companies are building a number of other projects in Nile-basin countries including two solar power stations in Eritrea and another in Uganda.
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Manchester United 0
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
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On Women's Day
Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action
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Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality
The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?
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The%20specs%3A%20Panamera%20Turbo%20E-Hybrid
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Panamera
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
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Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1. |
United States |
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China |
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UAE |
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Japan |
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Norway |
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Canada |
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Singapore |
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Australia |
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Saudi Arabia |
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South Korea |
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Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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