The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is on track to become a pivotal driver of regional economic integration by delivering significant benefits to East and Southern Africa, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ambassador Nebiat Getachew addressed past diplomatic pressures against the project, emphasizing that these challenges were often unreasonable. He firmly stated that the GERD is not intended to harm any nation but rather to serve as a catalyst for regional prosperity.
Ambassador Nebiat highlighted the dam's potential to foster integration, stating, "Although it is a national project built by Ethiopians, it's going to be a regional project, because the use of the power generated from this massive dam will be for the regional countries, which will be a cause for integration."
He further elaborated on the dam's broader significance, noting its alignment with the African Union's Agenda 2063, which aims to integrate Africans for shared prosperity and development. "It also has a Pan-African dimension. The Africa Agenda 2063 is based on integrating Africans for joint prosperity and development. For that, it contributes significantly towards that goal as well," Ambassador Nebiat explained.
The GERD will also address Ethiopia's pressing domestic energy needs, where approximately 65 percent of the population currently lacks access to electricity. Ambassador Nebiat underscored that Ethiopia's primary objective is to develop its own resources to provide power for its citizens. "And against this background, any initiative to address this critical problem of supplying energy or electricity, a renewable one, to our citizens should by no means be understood as an attempt to damage or block others access to the water," he asserted.
The spokesperson reiterated Ethiopia's commitment to a "win-win solution," assuring downstream countries that the dam is not designed to reduce their water flow. "We have time and again assured our neighbors that this dam is not built to cause harm, is not built to diminish the flow of water to low-riparian countries, but it's a dam that will change the current shortage of power in Ethiopia based on a win-win approach." He expressed hope that downstream countries would recognize this position and collaborate on future mutually beneficial projects within the Nile basin.
Ambassador Nebiat pointed out that the GERD's power will be distributed through the African Power Interconnection Project, extending its reach to countries in the southern part of the continent. "Immediate beneficiaries could be our immediate neighbors, but through the African Power Interconnection Project, it will be of use to countries which are even further down in the southern part of Africa. Ethiopia has already conducted bilateral agreements to sell power to these countries, which is easily a cause for working together, a cause for integration."
Despite facing diplomatic hurdles and opposition, particularly from downstream nations, Ethiopia remains committed to resolving issues through negotiation and discussion, according to the spokesperson.
The GERD, which is nearing completion and entirely financed by Ethiopians, stands as "an emblem of Ethiopia's resilience and solidarity of its people," Ambassador Nebiat concluded. The story is from ENA.