Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has highlighted the tourism potential of the Renaissance Dam, particularly the islands created in the area, stressing that the project will unlock the country's development opportunities.
"[The] Dam is now home to around 70 islands which have immense tourism destination development potential. There are many possibilities for us on the horizon if we commit to working in unison to unlock our national potential," the Ethiopian leader said on social media.
On September 10, Ethiopia announced the successful completion of the fourth and final filling of the Renaissance Dam. The prime minister marked the occasion by saying that it demonstrates that Ethiopia is "invincible and can achieve what it wants."
"There was a lot of challenge. We were many times dragged to go backwards. We had an internal challenge and external pressure. We've reached [this stage] by coping together with God," Abiy Ahmed said.
The announcement came just two weeks after Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt resumed negotiations after a long hiatus on an agreement that would take into account the water needs of all three countries.
Ethiopia began construction of the Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River in 2012. According to some experts, the dam, located in the country's northwestern region of Benishangul-Gumuz, bordering Sudan, could cause water shortages in Sudan and Egypt.
Commenting on the recent negotiations, which started in late August, Egypt's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said that the trilateral talks in Cairo between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam didn't yield any progress.
According to the ministry's statement, the talks didn't result in any change in Ethiopia's position on the national project. It was noted that Egypt continues to "exert utmost efforts" to reach as soon as possible a legally binding agreement on the rules for filling and operating the GERD, which is in Egypt's interest and for the mutual benefit of the three countries.
The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, for its part, announced that the next round of talks between the three countries on the dam will take place in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in September.