Brian Inganga / AP

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — With great fanfare Ethiopia inaugurated its controversial mega-dam on the Blue Nile on Tuesday – the biggest hydroelectric dam in Africa but one that's divided the region and even caught the attention of President Trump.

Fireworks lit up the sky the night before the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was officially opened, and dancers dressed as engineers in hardhats performed at the colorful daytime ceremony attended by African dignitaries.

For Ethiopia the unveiling of the 74-billion cubic meter dam, which has been 14 years in the making and cost $5 billion, was the culmination of a dream and proved the East African nation the winner in a bitter diplomatic battle over its construction.

The 476-foot high, 1.2 mile-long dam will m

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