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2h ago

Ethiopia Declares Renaissance Dam Complete as Envoys Applaud, Disputes Linger

Foreign envoys praise the project’s energy promise, with key water‑sharing guarantees still unsettled.

A view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia, Sept. 9, 2025 (AP photo).
The largest dam in Africa, the GERD, built at a cost of some $6 billion, has been 14 years in the making. It led to a surge in Ethiopian nationalism, uniting a nation often polarised along ethnic lines and mired in conflict, not least because it was financed by Ethiopians themselves, including through the purchase of bonds by individuals.

Overview

  • Ethiopia held an inauguration earlier this month for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, capping a project reported to cost about $5 billion and billed as Africa’s largest dam.
  • Resident diplomats in Addis Ababa from Bangladesh, Nigeria and Burundi lauded the dam’s development impact, citing expected output of roughly 5,200 megawatts for households, industry and regional power trade.
  • World Politics Review reports the facility is now at full capacity, with projected annual generation of about 15,700 gigawatt-hours and potential export revenue of up to $1 billion.
  • Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed cast the completion as a unifying national achievement, invoking the spirit of the 1896 Battle of Adwa during the ribbon‑cutting ceremony.
  • Regional frictions persist over Nile water management, with downstream governments continuing to contest Ethiopia’s unilateral operation and press for binding rules, particularly for drought periods.