Ethiopia PM inaugurates electricity production at Nile mega-dam
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially inaugurated electricity production from the country’s mega-dam on the Blue Nile on Sunday, a milestone in the controversial multi-billion dollar project. Abiy, accompanied by high-ranking officials, toured the power generation station and pressed a series of buttons on an electronic screen, a move that officials said initiated production. A handout satellite image shows a view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Ethiopia, on July 28, 2020 After flicking a digital switch to turn on the turbines in the first phase of the project, Prime Minister Abiy sought to assure those nations that his country did not wish to harm their interests. “Ethiopia’s main interest is to bring light to 60 percent of the population who is suffering in darkness, to save the labor of our mothers who are carrying wood on their backs in order to getenergy,” Abiy said. “This great dam was built by Ethiopians but not only for Ethiopians, rather fo...