Ethiopia is set to officially inaugurate the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Tuesday, marking the completion of Africa’s largest hydroelectric project.
- Ethiopia inaugurates the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the largest hydroelectric project in Africa.
- The $4.8 billion infrastructure aims to address Ethiopia’s energy challenges and support the region.
- The dam’s development was partially financed through contributions by Ethiopia’s diaspora over 14 years.
- Neighbouring countries, particularly Egypt and Sudan, express concerns over water sharing and the absence of a binding agreement.
Ethiopia is set to officially inaugurate the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Tuesday, marking the completion of Africa’s largest hydroelectric project after more than a decade of construction.
The $4.8 billion dam, built on the Blue Nile in the western Benishangul-Gumuz region, is designed to transform the country’s energy landscape and supply power to homes and industries across East Africa.
The dam, financed in part through bonds purchased by Ethiopia’s diaspora, took 14 years to complete.
For Ethiopia, the dam is seen as the answer to chronic power shortages and a key driver for its manufacturing ambitions.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said Ethiopia will use the energy to improve Ethiopians’ access to electricity while also exporting surplus power to the region.
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Downstream fears in Egypt and Sudan
However, downstream nations, Egypt and Sudan, fear its operation without a binding agreement could endanger the Nile, the lifeline for more than 100 million people.
Egypt, which built the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s, fears the project could limit its water supply during droughts and set a precedent for more upstream dams.
Cairo has opposed the GERD from the outset, insisting it breaches colonial-era water treaties and poses an existential threat to the country’s survival.
Years of negotiations, mediated at different times by the U.S., the United Arab Emirates, and the World Bank, have failed to produce a binding agreement on how the Nile’s waters should be shared.
Ethiopia maintains it is under no obligation to abide by colonial-era treaties that gave Egypt control over the river, arguing that the GERD embodies its right to use the resource for development.
