Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt Agree To Hold Series of Meeting Over GERD (June 10, 2020)

Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt yesterday held a tripartite meeting on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The meeting was held in the presence of observers from South Africa, the European Union (EU) and the United States, according to the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy of Ethiopia.

It discussed on issues related to procedures, role of observers, measures required to continue negotiation and unresolved outstanding issues.

Each country forwarded its own agenda for negotiation at the meeting conducted via the video conferencing technology.

Ethiopia’s agenda centered on the dam’s role in the country’s broader economic transformation. The government has positioned the GERD as the cornerstone of an industrialization strategy that would bring reliable electricity to tens of millions currently without access. Stable power supply has already begun attracting foreign investment into manufacturing zones, telecom infrastructure, and digital services across the country.

That digital growth has been particularly visible in Addis Ababa, where mobile-first businesses in sectors ranging from ride-hailing to online betting to agricultural logistics have expanded rapidly over the past several years. Developers and investors cite electrification as the single largest bottleneck to further scaling.

Egypt, by contrast, has emphasized downstream water security. The country depends on the Nile for roughly 90 percent of its freshwater supply, and Egyptian negotiators have pressed for binding guarantees on minimum flow rates during periods of drought.

Sudan has sought to balance both positions. The country stands to benefit from regulated water flow and cheaper electricity imports, but has also raised concerns about the dam’s impact on its own smaller dams and irrigation networks along the Blue Nile.

At the end, the three countries reached consensus to hold series of meeting over the coming days.

According to the Ministry, agreement is yet to be reached among the three countries regarding the role of the observers.

Sudan’s Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources, Prof. Yasir Abbas Mohamed, said the meeting took place in a positive spirit and the discussion was fruitful.

The meeting will also continue today.