Since day one of the project inauguration, Ethiopia has had a firm stance on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), i.e. — getting based on a win-win approach.
The early power generation of the flagship hydro-power project shows the practicality of the promises. All the talks have been on the ground of scientific evidences. Ethiopia’s unwavering position with regard to GERD is to produce renewable energy using the Blue Nile (Abbay) River without significantly causing harm to the downstream riparian countries. Since the commencement of the construction of the GERD in 2011, Ethiopia has been telling the international community and the downstream countries that the alpha and omega of starting hydropower dams at the trans-boundary river is to use its national resource without harming Nile riparian countries.
The project’s overall execution has reached over 84 percent and started its early power generation after it successfully impounded enough water following two consecutive seasons’ water fillings.
Though Ethiopia successfully achieved the water impoundments and commenced the energy production from the GERD, the regular water flow to the downstream countries continued as usual.
So far, the downstream countries have not faced water shortages and have never experienced any changes in the regular flow of the waters of the Nile River. And there will never be in the future as well. Since the GERD was launched after a deep scientific research, considering the downstream countries interests and other matters, Ethiopia is confident that the construction of the dam will not affect the downstream countries.
Its real stance and the real scientific reasons are also presented and discussed with the downstream riparian countries during the past ten years. Ethiopia’s talks are practically proven and its win-win stance is now becoming genuine and scientific one.
No promise of Ethiopia has remained unfulfilled and no word of Ethiopia with regard to GERD is exaggerated. Ethiopia walks every talk about the safety, benefits including the regulated flow of the waters of the Abbay. Now, all baseless claims and blames of the downstream countries about Ethiopia’s giant dam become unseen and unscientific. This indicates that Ethiopia since the early days of the construction up to now is pursuing a win-win approach that makes all parties a winner.
Since Ethiopia has the facts and the truth, it continues extensive deliberation with the downstream countries genuinely with give-and-take principle.
I think the international community including African brothers and sisters from Egypt and Sudan may now understand Ethiopia’s solid and scientific stance and as their allegations are unfounded ones. If the downstream countries’ claim was a genuine fear, I think they would try to rethink that they were/are wrong.
And, for me, the politicians and the elite of the downstream countries may think to start a new way of cooperation with Ethiopia and to close the unfinished trilateral discussion with a lasting solution. According to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia has a vision of connecting the African and European continents with an energy grid.
This shows that Ethiopia’s investment on renewable energy is a boon not only for Ethiopia, but also to the countries that are facing renewable energy shortages. After completing GERD, Ethiopia plans to sell 2000 megawatts of energy to neighboring countries.
In short, the dam will have an immense contribution in dragging millions of people out of the quagmire of poverty. It is an additional blessing for the region apart from benefitting tens of millions of Ethiopians at home. Frankly speaking, opposing this project without scientific facts and real reasoning is madness.
The facts and figures are also proving that the GERD project harms no one. In recent years, this project was an agenda at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the tripartite discussion on GERD is now on the hand of the African Union. However, the fact on the ground assured that the dam never and ever harms downstream countries. Now, blames, claims and threats have no place.
The concerns of downstream countries are already unfounded. Hence, it is time for cooperation to develop regional integration and to exploit the available renewable energy potentials of Ethiopia for regional, continental and international benefits.
There is no plausible reason to downplay the GERD. All baseless threats of downstream countries already stopped short. The “historical and legal right, what have you?…” rhetoric has also been disproved.
Ethiopia’s struggle to develop its energy access to its people is a genuine and natural right. Country’s effort of developing hydro-power energy access is also bringing benefits to the countries of the region and beyond. Hence, the international community including the downstream countries should understand this fact.
The international financial donors should also wake up to support Ethiopia’s efforts in the energy sector including the investment in the Blue Nile Rivers than constraints imposed on loans for the dams constructed on the Blue Nile following baseless allegations of downstream countries.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
The Ethiopian 24 February 2022
