|"The name of Abbai is big father. It is fatherly. The resource
that provides - that is very heavy, very respected, revered from
Ethiopian side." Yacob Arsana The Ethiopians call the Blue Nile
"the Abbai" – a word carrying a sense of reverence and
adoration. For more than 80 per cent of Ethiopians the very
thought of a light bulb is a dream. and the Nile could help
realise that dream. Harnessing the fast-flowing river descending
from the Ethiopian highlands would generate electricity –
reducing the country's chronic power shortage. But to date the
full potential of the river remains untapped. Decades of civil
unrest and war have hindered Ethiopia's ability to develop.
Instead, it remains one of world's poorest countries. In 1959
Egypt and Sudan agreed on dividing the river's waters. Ethiopia
was neither invited to the negotiations, nor included in the
agreement. Professor Yacob Arsano, an associate professor of
political science and international relations at Addis Ababa
University, explains why the exclusion