legal aspects joining us from washington is joseph siegle director of research for the africa center for strategic studies at the national defense university and thank you for your time what is it that actually spot to the change of heart. well i think it's still too early to know all the details but it is a significant change in position on the part of ethiopia they have been getting all along that they have to write it down are planning to start building that day out. immediately that is if you know grounders it's rainy season which is a good time to start feeling that they also doesn't affect any of the downriver countries. i think this is probably a reaction to a lot of international pressure that. egypt has been wanting to force you know pins to slow down and to try to reach some sort of. finally agreement before they start feeling that the out. and so i'm assuming that. if you're not has that the same time elicit some commitments from egypt that they will then seriously commit to the negotiations and try to reach an agreement shortly as i had for my correspondent there a 95 percent of the issues hav

helping to pull millions out of poverty joseph siegel is director of research at the africa center for strategic studies based at the national defense university he says egypt's latest move is part of its strategy to extract more concessions from ethiopia. well i think what egypt is trying to do is raise the stakes and keep pressure on ethiopia and attempt to try and exact is strike a deal as it can from ethiopia. you know both sides and sadat have actually been meeting. even earlier this week at the technical level and. even according to the sudanese you're cation minister they have an agreement to 90 to 95 percent of the issues and so there is a dialogue happening and so i think what the egyptians are trying to do is to try to keep the issue as as high up and high profile as possible to to to put pressure on ethiopia for a better deal. all sides have a lot of you know. pride and identity in this project i mean obviously the dollar river is the troll to egypt's existence and its and its identity and its economy and meanwhile ethiopia has done for quite $6000000000.00 of its own resources to build this

studies. and finally, -- the director of the program the center for strategic and international studied, prior to joining cs has way the national intelligence officer for africa. in to 215 to 2018 and let the u.s. -- efforts sub sarah -- in 2013 to 2015 the cia cry's political an hiss on sub saharan africa. the african union from 2011 to 2013. in this role he democraticked to he u.s. strategy toward sub suba saharan africa and u.s. recognition of the sew mall by government. he spent two yours abroad working at the u.s. embassy in nigeria from 2008 to 2010. and with that, we will get started, in... blocker: ... this is an important issue for many people who are watching this disease as it spreadsglobally . you will hear from my colleagues about the health impact of the virus and political impact and security impact. i'd like to share an assessment of the social economic impact of the virus . covid-19 is a double-edged sword for africa. in addition to the obvious health challenges like elsewhere, it has also had tremendous economic dimensions on the continent and according to the world bank covid-19 is likely to turn sub-saharan africa into its first recession