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AFRIRUNIII: Ethiopia Foreign Affairs State Minister Opens 3rd Annual Nile Forum, Urges Swift Implementation of Water Agreements
By Alex Masereka Joel
Ambassador Mesganu Arga Moach, Ethiopia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, has officially opened the 3rd Annual Forum for Regional Integrations and Reasonable Utilization of the River Nile.
The conference dubbed AFRIRUN, now in its third year is being held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, under the theme; Shared Resources for Shared Future and Prosperity; Cooperation and Regional Integration through Equitable and Reasonable Utilization of the Nile”
Ambassador Mesganu Arga Moach, Ethiopia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs
In his remarks while launching the conference, Ambassador Mesganu, called for the speedy implementation of existing agreements on use of the Nile.
Explaining Ethiopia’s experience, the revealed that the country has taken up two projects to ensure equitable use of the Nile including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) the popular Green Legacy initiative.
“The GERD which is 95% complete has been constructed on the principle of equitable use of the Nile,” Ambassador Mesganu said, before adding, “The Green Legacy Initiative started under the leadership of PM H.E Abiy Ahmed is a transformative policy aimed at preventing environmental degradation.”
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a 6,450 MW hydropower project nearing completion on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, located about 30 km upstream of the border with Sudan. It is the largest hydropower project in Africa. It is owned and operated by the Ethiopian Electric Power company.
Amb. Mesganu also called for the speedy implementation of agreements that bind the Nile also known as Riparian States.
Ambassador Mesganu Arga Moach, Ethiopia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs addressing the conference
They include; Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (formerly known as Zaire), Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Egypt.
Experts from these countries are now engaged in discussions on how to foster full implementation of agreements that bind these states.
Professor Emmanuel Kasimbazi (R) interacts with a guest
Professor Emmanuel Kasimbazi and Dr Annette Kezaabu from Uganda are attending this high level forum.
Dr Annette Kezaabu (R) is also among speakers at the conference