What does Egypt have to gain from building a dam in Tanzania?
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for completing the construction of the Julius Nyerere dam in Tanzania, while the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam negotiations faltered.
CAIRO — Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly said in a press statement Sept. 4 that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi tasked the government to complete the construction of the Julius Nyerere dam and hydropower station in Tanzania to "the highest quality."
Madbouly noted that Sisi demanded that the dam's construction is of the highest quality in order to reflect the ability of the Egyptian contracting sector to implement huge projects.
In January 2018, Egypt and Tanzania signed a contract to establish a dam on the Rufiji River in Tanzania, which aims at generating electric power to supply Tanzania’s power needs, in addition to controlling the water quantities during flood periods and providing the Tanzanian state’s water needs.
The Julius Nyerere dam is among the largest hydroelectric dams in the East Africa region. The project is being implemented at a cost of $2.9 billion through a partnership between the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) and two of the largest Egyptian companies in the construction sector — Arab Contractors and El-Sewedy Electric. The two Egyptian companies won the tender that several multinational companies bid on. The building of the dam aims to encourage the implementation of other projects between the two countries in the fields of electricity and renewable energy.
