Ethiopia Needs to Build Pragmatic Narrative on Abay

Addis Ababa, August 23/2020(ENA) Ethiopia needs to build and reflect pragmatic narrative and discourse on the use of Abay River, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gedu Andargachew said.

This was disclosed at the opening of a webinar meeting held on Sunday under the theme: “Abay is life and pride for Ethiopia.”

Experts in the area have presented papers on various topics, including the history of Abay (Blue Nile).

On the occasion, Gedu said the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) being built on Abay River is an emblem of all Ethiopians and showcase of the country to complete such mega projects with its own capacity.

Ethiopia can generate up to 30,000 MW of energy on the River of Abay, he said adding “this massive potential will enable the nation to access electricity, expand industrial parks, and create job opportunity on the top of improving services.”

The Egyptian narrative makes the case that Egypt has claimed the right to hegemony over use of the Nile waters, a claim rejected by the upstream countries, which are the source of nearly all of the Nile waters.

These old narratives are behind the times and should be replaced with fair and equitable water use of all riparian countries, he said. 

Independent water resources researcher, Mekdelawit Messay said the use of the Nile is not an option but a matter of survival as 90 to 95 percent of Ethiopia's population is dependent on it.

“Developing Abay is a matter of existence. Developing Abay is not a choice rather it is a necessity,” she added.

Mekdelawit said right through the history Egypt has assertively controlled and monopolized the Nile waters.

This narrative should be changed as the use of Nile waters is equally significance for Ethiopians and other people living along the river, she said.

It is not viable to share water that belongs to more than 10 riparian countries between two countries and hope to maintain the status quo forever, she added.