ADDIS ABABA– Ethiopia’s ability to generate electricity from the Blue Nile for the very first time demonstrates to the world that the country is able to resist and pass any challenges at any time, the legendary athlete Haile Gebrselassie said.
Haile told The Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) that the power generation has a far reaching meaning for Ethiopia, which has been encountered with the unwarranted pressure due to its construction of Africa’s largest hydroelectricity dam, beyond providing electricity to its citizens.
The power generation also testified Ethiopians’ ability to build the economy through the determined efforts of people with different religious and ethnic backgrounds. “I am very delighted to learn that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) started power generation by overcoming all those ups and downs during the operation period.
Ethiopia’s commitment in building massive infrastructure including the GERD is exemplary to other African countries.” Admitting the construction of the GERD is far behind from schedule and overpriced due to various limitations, the athlete-turned business magnate stressed that the power generation changed the bad history in utilizing the River Nile for Ethiopia’s benefits for the very first time.
He has called on the public to uphold their collaboration with the government in protecting and defending the interest of their country and fighting the destructive attempts of anti-peace elements that aim to disrupt the pace of the
country. It is to be recalled Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) toured the dam’s power generation station and pressed a number of buttons which initiated the production of the first-phase 375 MW of electricity last Sunday.
The GERD is expected to generate over 5,000 megawatts of electricity, doubling the nation’s electricity output when it is fully completed and the overall project is currently 83.9 percent complete.
BY MISGANAW ASNAKE
The 22 February 2022
