For Africa Report with Crystal Odison.

Let's catch up now its stories from the continent.

We think you need to pay attention to Crystal.

Ordison joins us.

There's a little bit of feedback there in the background, Crystal, so just manage that we can hear some feedback and people in the background.

I'm not sure what's going on.

It's not me, it's the team.

Ah okay, we've just got to be careful on our side.

I'm looking at the team.

They're all nodding furiously.

I think that's been sorted, Thank you, Crystal.

Let's start with Ethiopia.

They're saying the Grand Renaissance Mega Dam project on the Nile is now complete.

There's still some concerns.

Of course, we know that Egypt and Sudan were worried about whether they would then have limited access to the Nile River.

Talk to me, what's the latest.

Yes, Bunghani.

So we've been talking about this for the past few years and the Ifyopian Prime minister see the dam is now finally completed, and we still see that Egypt and Sudan are still unhappy about the dam project.

Now, Ethiopia went ahead with this project and it already started producing electricity.

It costs about four billion dollars.

It began in twenty eleven despite major objections from Ethiopia and Sudan.

Now it's built on the banks of the Blue Nile, which is near the Sudanese border, and it's been producing power since twenty twenty two, and we see it's expected to eventually produce around six thousand megawatt electricity for Ethiopia, which is going to be double their current electricity output.

Now, for Ethiopia, it's a major game changer.

Only half of its population have access to electricity, and the Ethiopians believe strongly this is going to be economically change.

But we know that Sudan and Egypt they still unhappy because for Egypt they rely on the now for about ninety percent of their needs in terms of agriculture.

Ethiopia still believes, look, you know, there's more than enough water for everyone and so therefore there's no need to panic.

But I don't think it's the end of it, because Egypt said, you know, they're still not going to just accept that all of this is happening.

But the reality is Pungani the dam is completed, you know, it's starting to produce electricity, and one wonders, you know, how then do you start out do you challenge just because we know at some point there was even talk of a water war breaking out because Egypt was so angry about the dam continuing.

But now it's complete.

It's Africa's largest basically a hydro electricity project.

Given that Ethiopia is Africa's second most populous population, certainly this dam is a game changer for them.

So I would argue that there's noa oh, I don't know.

Consequence of the assassination of the founding leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Patrice Lumuba.

Then really the disasters war we have seen over recent decades in that country.

Now a celebration of the centenary of his birth.

So yes, Spunghani, I think you're so you're so right.

I mean, patris La Mumba is, you know, is the hero and yet he was assassinated at the height of his of his leadership, and you know, it's really an assassination that shocked not only Congo Africa, but also the world.

And so this past week the DOS he celebrated that anniversary of his birth.

Now he was born in nineteen twenty five in the Belgian Congo and actually spent time in prison where he became very politically active, and that's when he started challenging the you know, Belgian the former colony and in fact a speech in front of the Belgian king he basically challenged the colonial rule.

And because of that and because of his stance, you know, he was targeted by Western intelligence agency.

So eventually, sadly Bungani was killed in nineteen sixty one by several police officers and now in fact, at the same time, ironically in Belgium, one of the last men to actually have you know, through various processes that his daughter Julia has taken on in Belgium.

He is the ninety two year olds, they says, the last survivor of the ten conspirators, and he's going to stand trial and so it's going to be interesting to see what's happening on that because his daughter, Julia la Mumbo has been traveling the world and who's been you know, really asking the questions who killed her father?

Why was he killed in such a brutal way?

We know La Mumba was just killed in the most brutal way ever and so one well, I think, of course for the family and those Congolese are hoping that there's some truth that will come out from this Belgian police officer into the nature of his killing.

And ultimately there's been reports.

We know that the Belgian and the CIA, they were involved in it, but hopefully some more truths for it.

But at least in the DRC celebration of the great Patricia Mumba.

Yeah, I mean he did, as you say, lead the country's first elected government, austed within months and then assassinated of course in nineteen sixty one.

And the gruesome way in which they even disposed of his body, which was dissolved in acid after his execution, but that gold crowned tooth recovered and returned to his family in twenty twenty two.

It's really the only thing they ever got of the remains of Patrice Lumumba.

But I think it remains a powerful anti colonial resistance figure around the world.

I would argue there was a fantastic film called Lumumba that came out, I think around nineteen ninety seven, and it really is one of those that should be required viewing for anybody who's interested in African history, who's interested in African leadership and really the anti colonial resistance struggle.

Thank you, Crystal