Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, is dubbing it “the greatest achievement in the history of the black race.” Egypt’s government has issued a statement calling it a threat to “the existential interests of its people.” Can the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa’s biggest ever hydroelectric dam, be both at the same time?
The Nile River is famous for being the longest river in the world, with a basin covering ten countries from Burundi to Egypt. The river is an essential source of water for several nations, with Egypt depending on the river for 97 per cent of its freshwater needs. The river is formed from three main streams: the Blue Nile, the Atbara, and the White Nile. The Blue Nile plays the biggest part in bringing the Nile flood to Egypt. This is also the river on which GERD has been built.
The construction of dams on the Nile is nothing new. As far back as the mid-1800s, dams were built in Egypt to raise the water level upstream for irrigation purposes. The advent of hydroelectric plants made the dams at Aswan a central source for Egyptian electricity.
Notably, the Aswan High Dam was a controversial project itself due to its impact on downstream erosion, inability to transfer fertilising silt, and the increase in Mediterranean saltwater in the delta region. Additionally, fish populations offshore of the delta have dropped significantly. Supporters of the dam mean that the security of dependable water and electricity it provides outweighs the costs. Sudan has also built dams for both irrigation and electrical power.
Now it is Ethiopia’s turn to get into the dam business, and Egypt is not happy. The project has been planned for decades and was first proposed by Emperor Haile Selassie. Funding has been secured from the central bank and bonds purchased by the Ethiopian people, reflecting the strong popular support for the construction. The impressive GERD power plant has the capacity to supply millions more Ethiopians with power in a country with only 22 per cent of the population connected to the grid. Prime Minister Abiy also hopes the dam can generate new revenue for the government by exporting power to its neighbours.
While the Ethiopians rejoice, Egypt and Sudan are terrified that the GERD will choke off their already stretched water supply. Sudan’s opposition also stems from their tendency to side with Egypt in geopolitical matters, due to Egypt’s backing of Sudan’s national army. It is still disputed how much of a threat the dam is to Egypt and Sudan.
The politicians, however, are not waiting for the scientists to make up their minds. Egypt’s president, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, is going so far as to call the dispute “a matter of life and death.” He is also taking advantage of the situation by strengthening ties with both Somalia and Eritrea, which have long opposed an Ethiopian port on the Red Sea. A future conflict in the region could pit two of Africa’s strongest and most populous nations against each other, leading to disastrous consequences. So far, all attempts to reach an agreement about fair use of the Nile have failed.
In many ways, the Egyptian position seems unfair and akin to fearmongering. It is easy for a nation to complain about projects upstream when they themselves have no neighbors downstream. Whether Mr. al-Sisi would scrap all Egyptian dams if they threatened another nation is a hypothetical that can never be tested; their lack of concern for the effects on the southern Mediterranean is telling. What we can know for certain is that millions of Ethiopians will now have access to consistent electrical power for the first time. An opportunity that is bound to boost development and quality of life for the entire region.
The GERD is not the first controversial upstream dam in the world, and it will not be the last. There is a need for clearer guidelines and agreements concerning the fair use of the earth’s bountiful resources because if we stop using them cooperatively, we can never hope to use them sustainably.
“Inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (September 9, 2025)” by pmobarbados is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.
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Tensions Rise over Ethiopia’s New ‘Mega Dam’
Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, is dubbing it “the greatest achievement in the history of the black race.” Egypt’s government has issued a statement calling it a threat to “the existential interests of its people.” Can the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa’s biggest ever hydroelectric dam, be both at the same time?
The Nile River is famous for being the longest river in the world, with a basin covering ten countries from Burundi to Egypt. The river is an essential source of water for several nations, with Egypt depending on the river for 97 per cent of its freshwater needs. The river is formed from three main streams: the Blue Nile, the Atbara, and the White Nile. The Blue Nile plays the biggest part in bringing the Nile flood to Egypt. This is also the river on which GERD has been built.
The construction of dams on the Nile is nothing new. As far back as the mid-1800s, dams were built in Egypt to raise the water level upstream for irrigation purposes. The advent of hydroelectric plants made the dams at Aswan a central source for Egyptian electricity.
Notably, the Aswan High Dam was a controversial project itself due to its impact on downstream erosion, inability to transfer fertilising silt, and the increase in Mediterranean saltwater in the delta region. Additionally, fish populations offshore of the delta have dropped significantly. Supporters of the dam mean that the security of dependable water and electricity it provides outweighs the costs. Sudan has also built dams for both irrigation and electrical power.
Now it is Ethiopia’s turn to get into the dam business, and Egypt is not happy. The project has been planned for decades and was first proposed by Emperor Haile Selassie. Funding has been secured from the central bank and bonds purchased by the Ethiopian people, reflecting the strong popular support for the construction. The impressive GERD power plant has the capacity to supply millions more Ethiopians with power in a country with only 22 per cent of the population connected to the grid. Prime Minister Abiy also hopes the dam can generate new revenue for the government by exporting power to its neighbours.
While the Ethiopians rejoice, Egypt and Sudan are terrified that the GERD will choke off their already stretched water supply. Sudan’s opposition also stems from their tendency to side with Egypt in geopolitical matters, due to Egypt’s backing of Sudan’s national army. It is still disputed how much of a threat the dam is to Egypt and Sudan.
The politicians, however, are not waiting for the scientists to make up their minds. Egypt’s president, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, is going so far as to call the dispute “a matter of life and death.” He is also taking advantage of the situation by strengthening ties with both Somalia and Eritrea, which have long opposed an Ethiopian port on the Red Sea. A future conflict in the region could pit two of Africa’s strongest and most populous nations against each other, leading to disastrous consequences. So far, all attempts to reach an agreement about fair use of the Nile have failed.
In many ways, the Egyptian position seems unfair and akin to fearmongering. It is easy for a nation to complain about projects upstream when they themselves have no neighbors downstream. Whether Mr. al-Sisi would scrap all Egyptian dams if they threatened another nation is a hypothetical that can never be tested; their lack of concern for the effects on the southern Mediterranean is telling. What we can know for certain is that millions of Ethiopians will now have access to consistent electrical power for the first time. An opportunity that is bound to boost development and quality of life for the entire region.
The GERD is not the first controversial upstream dam in the world, and it will not be the last. There is a need for clearer guidelines and agreements concerning the fair use of the earth’s bountiful resources because if we stop using them cooperatively, we can never hope to use them sustainably.
“Inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (September 9, 2025)” by pmobarbados is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.
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