 during a discussion with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Read more.){kind=link}
By Samuel Wolde
Staff Reporter
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – US President Donald Trump raised the issue of the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) during a discussion with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in New Jersey on July 14.
The President stated, for the second time, that his country, the United States, has provided financial support for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. He also mentioned that Ethiopia is building one of the largest dams in the world on the Nile River.
President Trump stated that the Nile River is “life for Egypt” and that his country would resolve the issue with Ethiopia.
During the President’s discussion about the Renaissance Dam, in addition to the NATO Secretary General, his Deputy JD Vance, Secretary of State Mark Rubio, and other US and European officials were present.
It’s recalled that President Donald Trump had written on his Truth Social account three weeks prior that his country had provided financial support for the Renaissance Dam.
The Public Coordination Office for the Grand Renaissance Dam has rejected President Donald Trump’s statement.
Aregawi Berhe, the chief executive of the office, called the President’s statement on his social media page, Truth Social, that the United States had financially supported the Renaissance Dam “baseless.”
The official emphasized, “The Renaissance Dam has been under construction since 2003 E.C. (2010/2011 G.C.) with the wealth, labor, knowledge of the Ethiopian people, and financial support from the Ethiopian government.”
He added that the American leader’s statement is related to international politics and not to Ethiopia’s internal affairs.
The Grand Renaissance Dam, which was initially estimated to require 80 billion Birr when its foundation stone was laid 15 years ago, has reached 97.6% completion with only a few finishing works remaining, according to the Grand Renaissance Dam Coordination Project Office.
The public has voluntarily contributed over 20 billion Birr for the dam’s construction so far, and it’s stated that they are working to collect 1.6 billion Birr this year.
It’s noteworthy that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in an explanation he provided to the House of People’s Representatives two weeks ago, stated that the Renaissance Dam would be inaugurated next September.
In the same explanation, the Prime Minister officially invited Egypt and Sudan to attend the inauguration ceremony. Egyptian politicians have been consistently criticizing the Renaissance Dam, while officials from the country are still pressuring Ethiopia to enter a binding agreement.
The Renaissance Dam, which is the largest project in Africa in terms of the electricity it generates, is currently producing 540 megawatts with two turbines.
The dam currently holds 42 billion cubic meters of water, and it’s expected that when completed, the water volume will increase to 74 billion cubic meters.
Over 180 billion Birr has been spent on the construction of the Renaissance Dam since its inception, and it is stated that 80 billion Birr is needed to complete the remaining construction.
The Renaissance Dam is expected to be fully completed next year, and it is said that over 40 billion cubic meters of water are currently in the dam.
Egypt blames Ethiopia for the failure of the tripartite negotiations, while Ethiopia, on its part, has stated that the negotiations failed because Egypt wants colonial-era agreements to continue.
Support Borkena : https://borkena.com/subscribe-borkena/
Join our Telegram Channel : t.me/borkena
Like borkena on Facebook
Add your business to Ethiopian Business Listing / Ethiopian Business Directory Business Listing Toronto
Join the conversation. Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter) @zborkena to get the latest Ethiopian News updates regularly. Subscribe to YouTube channel To share information or for submission, send e-mail to info@borkena.com
Dr. Aregawi does not have it all right. Ethiopian has been one of the highest recipients of both financial and material aid from USA. This has helped Ethiopia to address serious domestic needs before they become disasters. That has enabled Ethiopia to divert funds from the nation’s coffers to finance other domestic projects such as building roads, schools, healthcare facilities and, of course, dams. In 2023 alone Ethiopia had received close to 1.8 billion in US dollars in aid from USA. It was the 3rd recipient of aid from USA next to Ukraine and Israel. That is not chum change. That had freed money from that nation’s treasury to go into the building the very dam. That is how foreign aid should be looked at.
Meanwhile, issues with the dam raised by Egypt should be handled through dialogue only. I hope Good Ole USA will step in and lead these two kids to amicable agreement in which Egypt’s legitimate share of water from the river will be safeguarded and Ethiopia’s rights to harness its resources is protected according to existing international laws.