AU Right Venue to Tripartite Negotiation on GERD: Ugandian Scholars

Addis Ababa November 2/2021 (ENA) Ugandan Scholars underscored that the African Union (AU) is the right venue to lead the tripartite negotiation on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.

The scholars who participated in a webiner organized by the Ugandan Foreign Relation Council said that the Nile River is the continent's largest river shared by many countries.

They said Ethiopia is in the final phase to completing the construction of GERD which is expected to be one of the largest hydropower dam in Africa and among the largest worldwide with a capacity to generating 6,000 megawatts of electricity.

The electric to be generated from the GERD will provide power not only for Ethiopian but also to the region.

On the workshop scholars presented their respective papers entitled "The Prospect for a Successful Africa Lead Solution on the Ethiopia-Egypt-Sudan conflict over the GERD".

Professor Kasaija Phillip from the University of Makarari, who is well known for his research on the conflict in the Eastern Africa, stated in his study paper that AU is a legally mandated institution to lead the ongoing negotiations.

Since the three countries are members of AU, it is the right institution for a successful negotiates, he added.

Ethiopia’s ambassador to Uganda Alemtshai Messert extended her appreciation to Ugandan Foreign Relation Council for organizing the forum.

She further said that the researchers study strongly reaffirmed Ethiopia’s long standing stance regarding the negotiations that promotes the importance of the African Union in addressing the dispute.

According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the forum has also discussed on Ethiopia's firm position on ensuring the fair use of the Nile River among the tributaries.

It is indicated during the discussion that Africans need to support the three countries to reach an agreement that benefits all by understanding the reality