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Who controls the River Nile?

Ethiopia and Egypt are yet to forge a deal as a mega dam on the Nile kicks into action

This week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Ethiopia, just months before the planned partial opening of a controversial new dam project that Egypt says will harm tens-of-millions living along the River Nile. Construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia began in 2011 and is expected to start generating electricity within months. But Ethiopia has yet to agree with nearby Egypt how quickly the dam’s reservoir should be filled (the faster the process happens, the less water will flow downstream to Egypt). Attempts by the United States to negotiate a deal between its competing allies in North-Eastern Africa have so far failed, leading to concerns the row could lead to conflict. Ritula Shah and her panel of expert guests assess the economic costs and benefits of the dam to those up and downstream. And as climate change continues to threaten water security in the region, will the dam make the situation better or worse? In the end, who controls the Nile?

Available now

53 minutes

Last on

Sat 22 Feb 2020 04:06GMT

Contributors

Professor Khaled Abu ZeidÌý- Director of technical programs at the Arab Water Council in Cairo

Dr Jeannie Sowers - Associate Professor at the University of New Hampshire - and author of the book: ‘Environmental Politics in Egypt: Experts, Activists, and the State'

Professor Mammo Muchie - Research professor with the department of science and technology at the national research foundation of South Africa and at the Tshwane University of technology in Pretoria.

Harry Verhoeven - Associate member of the Department of Politics & International Relations, University of Oxford

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Image

A general view of the Blue Nile river as it passes through the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba in Ethiopia.ÌýCredit: Eduardo Soteras/AFP/Getty Images.

Broadcasts

  • Fri 21 Feb 2020 09:06GMT
  • Sat 22 Feb 2020 00:06GMT
  • Sat 22 Feb 2020 03:06GMT
  • Sat 22 Feb 2020 04:06GMT

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