Ambassador Ibrahim Idris stated that Ethiopia has overcome challenges and turned them into opportunities, bringing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to its current stage of completion.
Ambassador Ibrahim, a researcher of border and transboundary resource issues and advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shared his views on the GERD during today's "National Affairs" segment on ETV's Addis Ken. He highlighted the pressures Ethiopia faced from neighboring countries and international organizations both before and after the dam's construction began.
However, he emphasized that Ethiopia overcame these pressures by transforming them into opportunities and strengthening public participation, leading to its current success. He recalled Ethiopia's long history of not benefiting from the Nile River and explained that through strong diplomatic discussions with riparian countries based on principles of shared benefit, Ethiopia achieved victory.
Fikirte Tamir, Deputy CEO of the GERD's coordinating project office, corroborated this, mentioning that several countries exerted pressure to prevent the dam's construction due to concerns about its impact. However, she attributed the progress to the collaboration of Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian descent.
Both speakers noted the significant progress made in the last six years due to the government's focus and crucial steps taken. The dam, now nearing completion with over 98% of construction finished, is overcoming complex challenges and entering its final phase.