Preparations are underway for an elaborate ceremony for the official inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Tuesday.
In July Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed confirmed that the project to build Africa’s biggest hydroelectric dam had been completed and stated that its inauguration will be a national celebration of accomplishment.
GERD’s inauguration will take place against the backdrop of opposition from Egypt and Sudan, who claim the facility will impact negatively on their water security, misgivings dismissed by Addis Ababa as misguided and often exaggerated.
Noting that the GERD is a shared opportunity to downstream countries, Abiy extended an invitation to the governments and peoples of Egypt, Sudan, and all Nile Basin nations to join Ethiopia in the dam’s inauguration.
Both Egypt and Sudan have opposed the building of the dam, insisting that running a dam on the Nile will compromise their natural share of water from the world’s longest river.
“Ethiopians remain committed to ensuring that our growth should not come at the expense of our Egyptian and Sudanese brothers and sisters. We believe in shared progress, shared energy, and shared water,” Abiy said.
“To our neighbours downstream—Egypt and Sudan—our message is clear: the Renaissance Dam is not a threat, but a shared opportunity,” he said.
He added that “Egypt’s Aswan Dam has never lost a single liter of water due to the GERD”.
GERD has a total generating capacity of 5,150 megawatts and is expected to produce 15,760 GWh of electricity annually, according to Ethiopian Electric Power.
Construction of the GERD began in April 2011.
Ethiopia views the dam as central to its development ambitions and pursuit of lower-middle-income status.
MG/as/APA