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seriously affecting their business. Highlighting the need for huge investment it could endanger Sudan’s own dams.
The affected parties which include CIMAF in the power sector to address the above After the talks ended on Jun 17, Sudan’s
Ghana Ltd, CBI Ghana Limited, United Steel challenges, increase access and keep up with Minister of Irrigation Yasser Abbas told
Company Ltd and Rider Steel Company population growth, the IMF said: “Between reporters in Khartoum that the three counties’
Ltd are seriously lamenting that Enclave 2018 and 2030, the population is projected to irrigation leaders had agreed on “90 percent
Power Company (EPC), the energy supplier increase from 196 to 263mn. or 95 percent” of the technical issues but the
within the enclave only gave 22% rebate of dispute over “legal points” in the deal remains
its April 2020 bill instead of 50%, a situation dissolved.
which is seriously affecting their production “A deal should be signed before the start of
considering the adverse effect of the Covid-19 HYDRO the filling [of the dam],” he said. “There is no
pandemic on businesses. solution but negotiations.”
Speaking to the media, the Executive Sudan says talks on Ethiopia’s water and irrigation ministry
Secretary of the Chamber of Cement said that although technical issues had been
Manufacturers, Ghana, who doubles as Ethiopia’s Nile dam did not resolved, a key legal issue had yet to be
the Chairman of the Association of Ghana worked out.
Industries Tema, Rev. Dr George Dawson- produce deal The 6,600-kilometre-long (3,900-mile)
Ahmoah, described the situation as Nile is a lifeline supplying water and powering
unfortunate the attitude of the energy supplier The latest round of talks among three key electricity in the 10 countries it traverses.
(Enclave Power Company) and called on Nile River Basin countries failed to resolve
the government to as a matter of urgency a contentious dispute over construction of a
intervene to salvage the situation. giant $4.6bn hydroelectric dam in Ethiopia, Lotus Energy to install
He said, “This is absolutely an unfair trade Sudan’s irrigation minister said on June 17.
practice and does not augur well for fair Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan resumed 500MW power plant in
competition because other cement players negotiations on June 9 via video conference
and Steel companies outside the enclave are after months of deadlock, al Jazeera reported. Ethiopia Effort Group
enjoying the 50% rebate under ECG. We have Officials from the US, EU and South
written to EPC to rectify the anomaly and till Africa, the current chairman of the African An agreement has recently been signed
now no practical resolution has been given to Union, attended the talks as observers. in Ethiopia between Lotus Energy, an
the affected parties”. The years-long dispute over the Grand Australian clean energy cooperative, and the
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Ethiopian conglomerate Effort Group (Tigray
Blue Nile pits Ethiopia’s desire to become a Rehabilitation Endowment Fund) under a
major power exporter and pull millions out of 30-year contract.
INVESTMENT poverty against Egypt’s concern that the dam The agreement is for the construction
will curtail its critical share of the river if filled of a complex with at least 500 MW of solar
IMF advocates $49bn too quickly. parks. It will be located in the Tigray region of
Ethiopia would like to fill the dam in seven
Ethiopia.
investment in Nigeria’s years, while Egypt has proposed a slower pace cooperative, has been awarded a contract to
Lotus Energy, an Australian clean energy
of 12 to 21 years instead. Sudan has long been
power sector by 2030 caught between the competing interests of build a solar complex in the Tigray region,
Egypt and Ethiopia.
one of nine regions in Ethiopia. The 500 MW
The International Monetary Fund, IMF, has It stands to benefit from Ethiopia’s dam, facility will power the infrastructure of the
advocated $49bn investment in Nigeria’s which will reduce flooding downstream and Ethiopian conglomerate Effort Group (Tigray
power sector to ensure adequate power supply offer cheap electricity, but has raised fears over Rehabilitation Endowment Fund). It is a
for the country by 2030. the operation and safety of the GERD and says company active in cement, automotive and
The IMF stated this in a report on
Nigeria titled, “Additional Spending towards
Sustainable Development Goals”.
The IMF said that while Nigeria has made
some progress in terms of access to electricity,
with the share of population with electricity
access increased from 40 percent in 2015 to
54 percent in 2020, the country’s electricity
consumption still amounts to about half of
what would be expected at its current level of
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita.
“The electricity supply chain—generation,
transmission, and distribution—faces
substantial challenges due to years of
underinvestment.
Only 7,500MW of the 13,500MW on-grid
installed generation capacity is functional.
Of this, about 10 percent of on-grid
electricity demand is unmet,” the IMF said.

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 24 18•June•2020