A number of Arab development funds are to finance the hydroelectric Merowe dam on the Nile River in northern Sudan, according to the country’s Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Kamal Ali Mohamed.
The financing is to be provided by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the Kuwaiti Fund for Economic Development, the Saudi Fund for Economic Development and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development. The value of the fund is to reach $780 million, reported AFP news agency on Tuesday, August 14.
The designs of the dam have already been completed, and bids from international firms for its construction—to take place next year—are soon to be invited.
The dam is also to serve as a means of redirecting water for irrigation in the region. Heavy rainfall in Ethiopia has caused the Nile river to reach its highest level in over 20 years, which as consequently lead to flooding in some parts of Sudan. — (Mena Report)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
