The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) construction, now in its final phase, has reached 98.6% completion as of the end of March. This information was released by the GERD Coordination Office.
Solomon Daniel, Public Relations and Communication Executive for the Coordination Office, told EBC Dotstream that the dam is currently generating power with six turbines. He further stated that since the groundbreaking ceremony for the GERD, over 23 billion Birr has been collected from public contributions.
In the current fiscal year alone, Ethiopians and those of Ethiopian descent have contributed over 1.25 billion Birr. Of this, over 58.47 million Birr came from the diaspora community. To facilitate contributions from the diaspora, an agreement has been reached with the FastPay application to strengthen support efforts.
Recently, the Ethiopian Diaspora Service announced the launch of a new campaign to collect over 3 million dollars from the diaspora community.
The GERD Peace Cup, a fundraising initiative, is currently touring various regions. During its journey through the South Ethiopia Region, the Peace Cup aimed to collect 600 million Birr and has so far raised 155 million Birr.
Ethiopians and those of Ethiopian descent are urged to continue their support for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam's completion through all available fundraising options, including 8100 and TeleBirr.