Sudan proposed on Wednesday upgrading negotiations with Egypt and Ethiopia on a Nile mega-dam to prime ministerial level in a bid to break the deadlock.

Sudan has proposed to refer these issues to the prime ministers of the three countries," Yasser Abbas, Sudanese irrigation and water resources minister, told reporters after the latest round of virtual talks.

In a late Wednesday statement, Egypt's irrigation and water resources minister Mohamed Abdel Aty roundly blamed Ethiopia for the negotiations slowing down to a grinding halt.

"At the end of the irrigation ministers' meetings, Ethiopia rejected the suggestion that the issue be referred to the three Prime Ministers as a final chance to examine the floundering of the negotiations and to find solutions for the various disputes," the statement added.

Ethiopia sees the dam as essential for its electrification and development, while Sudan and Egypt view it as a threat to essential water supplies.