Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced today the successful completion of the fourth and final filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), marking a major milestone for the Horn of African country in its effort to satisfy the power needs of its over 120 million people.
In a social media post, PM Abiy congratulated all Ethiopians who contributed to the massive hydroelectric project through their financial support, expertise, labor, and prayers. He said the cooperation shown in building the dam should be a model for other national endeavors.
The GERD is Africa’s largest hydropower plant and has been a source of regional tension due to disagreements with downstream countries Egypt and Sudan over how it is filled and operated. PM Abiy acknowledged the project faced numerous challenges, both domestic pressures and international pressures.
However, he stated that through unity and perseverance, Ethiopia was able to overcome all obstacles and achieve its goal. While marking an important step, the Prime Minister noted that work on the dam is not finished and pledged Ethiopia will continue supporting the project until completion.
“We have reached the top of the hill, not the end of the hill,” he said.
Negotiations over the operations and filling of the dam were held last month in Cairo, with the next round planned to happen in Addis Ababa this month.
