Ethiopia has finished building mega-dam on Nile, PM says

Ethiopia says it has completed gathering a mega-dam connected the Blue Nile that has agelong been a root of hostility with Egypt and Sudan.

Launched successful 2011 with a $4bn (£2.9bn) budget, the dam is Africa's biggest hydro-electric plant, and a large root of pridefulness for Ethiopians.

Ethiopia sees the dam arsenic captious to gathering its vigor needs but Egypt and Sudan spot it arsenic threatening their h2o proviso from the Nile.

In a connection announcing the completion of the project, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sought to reassure his neighbours. "To our neighbours downstream - Egypt and Sudan - our connection is clear: the Renaissance Dam is not a threat, but a shared opportunity," helium said.

US President Donald Trump said successful 2020 that Egypt had threatened to "blow up" the dam - officially known arsenic the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd).

In a conciliatory move, Abiy said that some Egypt and Sudan would beryllium invited to its authoritative inauguration successful September.

"We judge successful shared progress, shared energy, and shared water," helium said.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Sudan's subject main Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met earlier this week and "stressed their rejection of immoderate unilateral measures successful the Blue Nile Basin", AFP quality bureau reports.

More than a mile agelong and 145m high, the dam is connected the Blue Nile tributary successful the bluish Ethiopia highlands, from wherever 85% of the Nile's waters flow.

Ethiopia wants the dam to nutrient desperately needed electricity, arsenic the bulk of its colonisation - astir 60% - person nary supply.

Egypt relies connected the River Nile for astir each of its caller water, and fears that the travel of h2o could beryllium disrupted.

It has argued that conscionable a 2% simplification successful the magnitude of h2o it gets from the Nile could effect successful the nonaccomplishment of 200,000 acres of irrigated land.

Sudan is besides heavy reliant connected h2o from the Nile, and shares Egypt's concerns.

Abiy said Ethiopia was "willing to prosecute constructively" with the 2 countries.

However, erstwhile talks person failed to resoluteness differences.