Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a television interview, “We expect one billion dollars in revenue annually from this dam,” emphasizing that “these revenues will be invested in other projects.” Ahmed noted that “Addis Ababa intends to undertake other projects like the Grand Renaissance Dam in the next five, ten, or fifteen years.” The Ethiopian Prime Minister highlighted that “many of our friends have discussed, warned, and threatened Ethiopia about operating the dam,” stressing his country’s desire for “this dam not to cause concern or fears in Cairo and Khartoum.”
Meanwhile, Egypt reiterated its rejection of what it described as the “unilateral approach” in managing the dam project, considering that “the continued filling and operation of the dam without a legally binding agreement with the downstream countries is a flagrant violation of international law.”
Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam previously stated that “Ethiopia’s behavior poses a direct threat to Egypt and Sudan’s water interests and ignores the fundamental principles related to the fair and equitable use of shared water resources.”
