Ethiopia Urges Regional Cooperation as PM Abiy Confirms GERD Launch Next Year

GERD Will be Inaugurated in the Ethiopian New Year 

By: Getahun Tsegaye
Staff Reporter 

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has reaffirmed Ethiopia’s firm commitment to completing and inaugurating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) next year, despite increasing diplomatic tensions with Egypt and a fresh wave of disinformation—this time from former U.S. President Donald Trump.

In a speech at  Ethiopia’s House of People’s Representatives during the 42nd parliamentary session, Abiy declared that the GERD is fully constructed and will be officially inaugurated at the end of the upcoming rainy season. While acknowledging external pressures and opposition to the project, he stated clearly: “Nothing will prevent its inauguration.” The Prime Minister emphasized the dam’s regional significance, describing it as a “blessing for Sudan and Egypt” and reiterating that the project poses no harm to downstream countries. “Ethiopia is ready to discuss and work together, as long as they don’t tell us not to work,” he added. “When we inaugurate the GERD, I invite them to share in our joy.”

These remarks come amid a controversial claim by Donald Trump, who in a recent post on Truth Social said, “A massive Ethiopian-built dam, stupidly financed by the United States of America, substantially reduces the water flowing into the Nile River.” Trump also remarked, “I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for keeping peace between Egypt and Ethiopia,” suggesting that the GERD was somehow part of a failed U.S.-brokered deal. These statements have provoked sharp responses from Ethiopian officials and analysts.

Dr. Aregawi Berhe, Director General of the Office of the National Council for the Coordination of and Public Participation  on the Construction of GERD, addressed the issue in an interview with Borkena media. He strongly refuted Trump’s assertions, stating: “What so far we have known is that the GERD has been built by Ethiopia’s people with wealth, labour and skill and financed by the Ethiopian government.” The Ethiopian government has consistently reiterated that the project was funded through the voluntary contributions of ordinary Ethiopians, diaspora fundraising, and government bond sales—without a single dollar of U.S. financing.

Africa’s largest hydroelectric power project, the GERD, is located on the Blue Nile close to the Sudanese border and has long been a point of diplomatic contention between Ethiopia and Egypt. The main point of contention is Egypt’s worry that the dam may diminish its portion of the Nile waters, which provide about 93% of the nation’s freshwater requirements. Even though Ethiopia was not a party to the 1929 and 1959 colonial-era treaties that gave it the majority of the Nile’s waters, Egypt has historically invoked those agreements.

A legally binding agreement has not yet been reached in negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan, which are frequently mediated by the African Union. Ethiopia has maintained that, considering its sovereign right to utilize its own natural resources, such demands are irrational. Egypt, however, has demanded longer reservoir filling schedules and more robust assurances. International players have taken notice of the problem, including the US during the Trump administration, which made fruitless attempts in 2019 and 2020 to mediate an agreement that would benefit Egypt.

But according to Prime Minister Abiy, the GERD is advantageous for the entire region, not just Ethiopia. He emphasized that since Ethiopia started partially filling the GERD reservoir, the water levels in Egypt’s Aswan Dam have not dropped. “Development within Ethiopia benefits all neighboring countries,” he said in his speech, positioning the project as an example of regional cooperation and self-reliance.

As the GERD draws closer to completion, it represents Ethiopians’ sense of pride as well as a point of contention in the region. The dam is a symbol of Ethiopia’s self-determination and popular mobilization. It continues to be a crucial issue for Egypt’s regional equilibrium and water security. 

Prime Minister Abiy has insisted on dialogue despite the tensions, indicating that Ethiopia is amenable to collaboration—so long as it does not jeopardize its goals for development.

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