Following the official launch of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in April 2011, Ethiopia proposed setting up a tripartite committee and a range of fora, which eventually led to the adoption of the Declaration of Principles on GERD (DoP) in March 2015, signed by Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to facilitate the trilateral dialogue. Principally, the DoP underlined the critical…
31 May 2021
Neither politicisation nor sabotage should guide policies over the Nile
Guest editorial by H.E. Teferi Melesse Desta on his first weeks in London as the new Ethiopian Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
9 Oct 2020
My first weeks in London
A key historical moment was celebrated when the first-year filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was achieved, with no effect at all on the downstream flow of the Nile River, or the ‘Abay’ as it is known in Ethiopia. The filling of the Dam was made possible by a particularly heavy rainy season, which is ongoing. The news was…
5 Aug 2020
Ethiopia Celebrates completion of the first phase of the GERD
In pursuit of an African solution to African problems, the leaders of Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt held a meeting on finalizing the technical negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The meeting set directions on the way forward, in which the three countries have agreed to conclude the negotiations and to try to reach a final agreement within the next…
30 Jun 2020
African solutions to African problems
Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt are to resume technical discussions on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), currently under construction on the Nile river, after Egypt accepted an Ethiopia-Sudan proposal to resume negotiations.
1 Jun 2020
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Cooperation and Contentment
Since the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis, Ethiopia has focused its strategy on the need for proactive interventions to curb the potential spread of the virus while putting in place the necessary infrastructure to ensure critical preparedness and capacity within the Health sector. In addition to the range of measures introduced since mid-January, the Government has maintained the importance of…
1 Apr 2020
TOGETHER, WE CAN! Ethiopia leads calls for collective response to Coronavirus
There is a major flaw in the strategy to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Advanced economies are unveiling unprecedented economic stimulus packages. African countries, by contrast, lack the wherewithal to make similarly meaningful interventions. Yet if the virus is not defeated in Africa, it will only bounce back to the rest of the world.
25 Mar 2020
PM Abiy: If Covid-19 is not beaten in Africa it will return to haunt us all
An open letter to Boris Johnson, both Houses of the UK Parliament, and friends of Africa by Dr. Arkebe Oqubay. In a landscape where many international powers are competing for stronger ties with and influence in Africa, an easing of the visa process and increased goodwill towards African visa applicants could be of considerable mutual benefit to African countries and…
15 Feb 2020
UK-Africa partnership: Why the UK should review its visa system for African visitors