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US vows to remain engaged with Sudan, others on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

The United States will continue to work with Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan until they sign an accord on a giant Blue Nile hydropower dam, after failing to secure signatures from the three countries this week, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday.
The three countries had expected to sign an agreement in Washington this week on the filling and operation of the $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), but Ethiopia skipped the meeting and only Egypt has initialed the deal thus far.
In a statement released late Friday, Mnuchin said he held separate bilateral talks with key ministers from Egypt and Sudan over the past two days after Ethiopia asked for a delay in what was to be the final round of talks.
It was not immediately clear whether further talks would be scheduled.
Mnuchin said he looked forward to Ethiopia concluding its internal consultations to allow signing of the deal “at the earliest possible time,” and stressed that final testing and filling of the dam “should not take place without an agreement.”
“The United States reaffirms its commitment to remain engaged with the three countries until they sign the final agreement,” he said.
Ethiopia is building the dam near its border with Sudan on the Blue Nile, which flows into the Nile river - the main water source for Egypt’s population of 100 million. The dam is the centerpiece in Ethiopia’s bid to become Africa’s biggest power
exporter.
At last month’s talks in Washington, the nations agreed on a schedule for staged filling of the dam and mitigation mechanisms during dry periods and drought but said they still needed to finalize details on safety and how to resolve any disputes.
Mnuchin said the agreement hammered out over the past four months with input from the countries and the World Bank “addresses all issues in a balanced and equitable manner.”
Egypt was ready to sign the agreement and had initialed it, but Ethiopia continued its national consultations, Mnuchin said.
Downstream populations in Sudan and Egypt remained concerned about unfinished work on the safe operation of the dam, he said.
Egypt’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Cairo looked forward to Sudan and Ethiopia following its lead in accepting the agreement and signing it soon.
“It is a fair and balanced agreement that achieves the common interests of the three countries,” Egypt said. It said it “regrets Ethiopia’s unjustified absence from this meeting at this crucial stage of the negotiations.”
source: Reuters
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Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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