Patmoz
By Njeri Irungu
Nairobi-Kenya, 28/08/2025
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which will be officially inaugurated and fully commissioned on September 9, 2025, stands as a landmark achievement for Ethiopia and the wider African continent. With an installed capacity of 5,150 megawatts and the ability to generate nearly 15,690 gigawatt-hours of energy annually, the dam is set to transform Ethiopia’s development trajectory by responding to the country’s surging energy demands. Ethiopia’s population, projected to reach 230 million by 2030, will now have access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity, a cornerstone for industrialization, agricultural productivity, and improved standards of living.
Speaking to journalists at the Ethiopian Embassy in Nairobi, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Kenya and Deputy Head of Mission, Ambassador Demeke Atnafu, underscored the significance of the project for both Ethiopia and the region. “The GERD is more than a dam. It is a symbol of Ethiopia’s determination to lift its people out of poverty, a demonstration of our sovereign right to use our natural resources, and a beacon of regional cooperation. It shows that shared resources can unite us, not divide us,” he said.
The GERD is also a story of national unity and self-reliance. Ethiopia financed the dam from its own resources, with contributions coming from citizens across all walks of life—farmers, teachers, workers, and professionals. In doing so, Ethiopians have demonstrated their collective will to harness the abundant waters of the Nile, more than 86 percent of which flow from Ethiopia’s highlands, to ensure a dignified life for present and future generations.
Importantly, the benefits of the GERD extend beyond Ethiopia’s borders. By regulating the flow of the Nile, the dam will reduce excessive flooding, minimize sedimentation, and lower water losses through evaporation. These improvements directly benefit downstream nations, particularly Egypt and Sudan, where the positive impact has already begun to be felt even before the dam’s commissioning. In addition, the electricity generated by the GERD will enhance cross-border energy trade, reinforcing regional integration and contributing to sustainable growth across East Africa.
The project also marks a turning point in the governance of Nile waters, challenging the outdated monopoly that Egypt has long claimed through colonial-era treaties. The 1929 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty and the 1959 Agreement with Sudan excluded upstream countries like Ethiopia, despite their significant contribution to the Nile. With the GERD, Ethiopia has shifted this narrative by advancing a project in full transparency. Over 150 design and technical documents were shared with the International Panel of Experts, which endorsed the project as beneficial to all three countries. Ethiopia also engaged in trilateral negotiations, signing the 2015 Declaration of Principles alongside Egypt and Sudan, and cooperated through the National Independent Scientific Research Group, which agreed on the rules for the dam’s stage-based filling.
Despite Ethiopia’s willingness to engage, Egypt has continued to resist equitable and reasonable utilization of the Nile, insisting instead on historic claims that have no basis in modern international law. By constitutionalizing an exclusive “historic right” to 55.5 billion cubic meters of water, Egypt has sought to impose what Ethiopia describes as a form of “hydrological colonialism” on the entire Basin. Moreover, Cairo has consistently obstructed the establishment of the Nile River Basin Commission, which is intended to coordinate the implementation of the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA)—a basin-wide treaty that came into force in 2024 with the support of the majority of riparian states.
Ethiopia maintains that while an agreement on the GERD is desirable, there is no urgency that justifies rushed or one-sided negotiations. The dam poses no significant harm to downstream nations and, in fact, offers them tangible benefits. The path forward lies in a negotiated settlement that guarantees predictability for Egypt and Sudan, while acknowledging the rights and needs of all riparian countries. For such an agreement to succeed, Ethiopia says Egypt must abandon its colonial-era claims and embrace cooperation within the framework of the CFA.
For Ethiopia, the GERD is therefore not only an answer to poverty and underdevelopment but also Africa’s message of resilience and unity. As Ambassador Demeke noted, “The GERD proves that African nations can mobilize their own people, their own resources, and their own vision to deliver transformative projects. It is a dam built by Ethiopians for Ethiopia, but its true power lies in the hope it brings for the entire region.”
