Addis Ababa, November 5, 2026 (FMC) – Ethiopia’s Minister of Water and Energy, Engineer Habtamu Itefa, has strongly criticized Egyptian officials for repeatedly creating controversy around Ethiopia’s water development, saying they “shout,” “disturb” and “make some kind of noise” rather than engage with the issue through sound technical arguments.
“From their side, they always try to shout, they try to disturb here and there, and they try to make some kind of noise,” the Minister said in an exclusive interview with Fana Media Corporation, describing Egypt’s approach to Ethiopia’s development of its water resources.
He said Ethiopia would take its case to the forthcoming UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi with technically convincing arguments, while demonstrating that its water projects are not a threat to downstream countries but a source of shared benefits.
The Minister said Egypt was expected to repeat its opposition to Ethiopia’s construction of dams, including claims that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was developed unilaterally and that Ethiopia should not build additional dams.
He, however, pointed to what he described as a contradiction in Egypt’s arguments concerning the GERD. Before the dam began filling, Egyptian officials warned that Ethiopia would harm Egypt and block the flow of the Nile. After the dam was completed, he said, their argument shifted to claiming that Ethiopia had promised to provide more water.
“That is a false allegation,” he said, rejecting the claims and maintaining that Ethiopia’s water development does not deprive downstream countries of their share.
The Minister said Ethiopia would use the conference to explain the benefits its development projects bring to neighboring countries, particularly through irrigation and hydropower. He noted that the GERD is connected to regional electricity cooperation, with neighboring countries including Kenya, Djibouti, Sudan and Tanzania benefiting from Ethiopia’s power supply.
He stressed that the conference would bring together people familiar with hydropolitics and hydrodiplomacy, who could assess the technical arguments rather than be swayed by political rhetoric.
“They are not laymen,” he said, referring to the participants’ understanding of the technical dimensions of transboundary water issues. He added that although Egyptian officials might use what he described as “wise and technical words” to persuade the international community, the participants would be capable of examining the substance of the arguments.
Ethiopia, he said, would present its position in keeping with its culture and through technically sound and persuasive arguments, rather than engage in the kind of public rhetoric he criticized.
The Minister reiterated that Ethiopia’s water development agenda is intended to advance prosperity beyond its borders, benefiting neighboring countries rather than putting them in danger.
He said Ethiopia would demonstrate that its projects can support regional development and cooperation, with water serving as a source of shared prosperity rather than conflict.
Minister Habtamu also maintained that Ethiopia’s development should not be portrayed as a threat to Egypt, arguing that the country’s efforts to use its water resources are compatible with the interests of downstream nations.