African nation hits out at Trump over mega-dam claim
Trump repeatedly said at a White House dinner with Republican senators last Friday that Ethiopia constructed the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) 'largely' with US money.
'It doesn't allow much water going into the Nile River. So you can imagine Egypt's not thrilled because, they live off the Nile River,' he said. The president also claimed in a post on his Truth Social online platform last month that the 'massive' dam, 'stupidly financed' by the US, 'substantially reduces the water flowing' into the Nile River.
However, on Tuesday, Fikrte Tamir, deputy director of the GERD Coordination Office, told reporters that the project had been completed 'without any foreign aid.' She said that over its 14-year construction period, it was financed entirely through government resources and public contributions, including salary deductions and donations from the diaspora.
'Regarding the remarks made by US President Donald Trump, the Ethiopian government should respond diplomatically and wisely,' Fikrte added.
The landlocked country's government announced the completion of the GERD earlier this month. The facility has been under construction since 2011 and is designed to generate up to 5.15 gigawatts of electricity, making it the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa. The project was initially scheduled for completion within six years on a $4 billion budget. On Tuesday, the GERD Coordination Office announced that 1.7 billion birr (about $12.3 million) has been raised from the public alone during the 2024/25 Ethiopian fiscal year.
The project, which Addis Ababa sees as a transformative energy source for the region and a symbol of 'regional cooperation and mutual benefit,' has long been a source of dispute. Egypt and Sudan have repeatedly voiced concerns over its impact on downstream water flows. The Nile reportedly provides approximately 97% of Egypt's supply of fresh water. Both Cairo and Khartoum fear that upstream water retention could severely affect agriculture and water security in their countries.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump intends to meet Putin next week
US President Donald Trump intends to hold a personal meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as early as next week, the New York Times reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter. The American president reportedly unveiled his plan during a phone call with a number of European leaders. The report comes just hours after Trump praised a meeting between Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff earlier on Wednesday, calling it 'very productive.' According to the US president, 'great progress' was achieved during the nearly three-hour-long talk, and the sides agreed to work on ending the Ukraine conflict 'in the days and weeks to come.' He did not reveal any further details. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump raises India tariff to 50% over Russian oil
The US will be imposing an additional 25% tariff on Indian imports, the White House has said, pointing to the nation's continued purchase of Russian oil. The move would bring the total levy on one of America's key trade partners to 50%. President Donald Trump had previously accused New Delhi of 'financing' the Ukraine conflict through oil purchases from Russia, vowing to slap the South Asian nation with additional penalties for its defense and trade ties with Moscow, on top of the 25% tariff he imposed last week. 'I find that the Government of India is currently directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,' Trump said in the executive order published by the White House on Wednesday. According to the document, the tariff is to come into force 21 days from its publication, i.e. in late August. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Russia Today
7 hours ago
- Russia Today
US ‘on precipice' of recession – Moody's
US President Donald Trump's tariffs and immigration policy are pushing the economy toward a downturn, Moody's chief analyst, Mark Zandi, has warned. He described the US as 'on the precipice' of a recession. The warning followed a Bureau of Labor Statistics report showing the US added an average of just 35,000 jobs a month from May to July – less than a third of last year's pace and the weakest since 2020. Experts say the slowdown signals weakening economic growth. Other indicators have also been bleak: June consumer spending rose only 0.1% after inflation, prices climbed 2.7% year-on-year – the highest since February – and factory activity contracted for the fourth straight month as orders and jobs fell. 'The economy is on the precipice of recession. That's the clear takeaway from last week's economic data dump,' Zandi wrote on X on Sunday. 'Consumer spending has flatlined, construction and manufacturing are contracting, and employment is set to fall.' He warned that inflation above target leaves the Federal Reserve little room to revive growth, especially under Trump's policies. 'It's no mystery why the economy is struggling; blame increasing US tariffs and highly restrictive immigration policy,' Zandi stated. 'The tariffs are cutting increasingly deeply into the profits of American companies and the purchasing power of American households. Fewer immigrant workers means a smaller economy.' Since returning to office, Trump has tightened restrictions on illegal immigration, planning to deport 4 million people over four years – a move many warn will trigger severe labor shortages. He has also imposed tariffs on hundreds of US trade partners, framing them as a 'reciprocal' strategy to secure better trade terms, protect jobs, revive manufacturing, cut deficits, and fund tax relief. Zandi is not alone in warning of the risks. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has cautioned that tariffs could sharply raise both inflation and unemployment. The Economic Policy Institute estimated that Trump's mass deportations plan could destroy nearly 6 million jobs. Trump's alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, warned that deportations would shrink most worker paychecks, cut GDP, and further swell the already massive federal budget deficit.
