With the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam nearing completion and is poised to fully generate power, regional nations are also bracing for an increased electricity export from Ethiopia.
The dam, as has been said time and time again, serves as a hallmark of regional bonanza and an impetus for collective growth. Since its launching, Ethiopia has been echoing that the flagship project will open a window of opportunities for cementing regional cooperation and promoting integration.
From ensuring transparency to cultivating trust, Ethiopia has been genuine in its objectives in constructing the dam from day one. This gesture helped diffuse tension and turn confrontation into cooperation, devoid of some hawkish acts from some foreign entities. In turn, serving as a solid testament and good faith in utilizing shared resources for shared causes, the project does not only.
Also, the past few years indicate that boosted power plants in Ethiopia mean increased power export to regional nations. With GERD poised to see completion shortly, regional nations will have more access to Ethiopia’s electricity.
Ethiopia has walked its talk in ensuring that the construction of the dam brings no harm to downstream nations. Over the years, dozens of delegations from different professions and affiliations have paid visits to the site of the construction. Ethiopia has been allowing access to the dam even for some cynical experts and activists from downstream nations. This already gave reliable opportunities to draw credible and primary information on the dam.
The determination of the nation towards regional causes has become part and parcel of its socioeconomic and development plan. In recent years, the country’s power export has increased, with incumbent countries giving priority to neighboring nations. In addition to energy linkages, the country has also been leading by example in other infrastructural integration and other common interests, like the green initiative. These notable works have garnered regional attention and are imperative to building trust and amicable ties with countries near and far.
In what could be said as a continuation of its genuine position, participants of the Africa Regional Meeting of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) visited the GERD. The East Africa Regional Meeting of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) was held in Addis Ababa.
The delegation comprised intelligence and security officials and representatives from various countries have participated in the meeting. Following the meeting, the participants visited GERD, where they received an extensive update on the progress of the dam’s construction and its current operational status, ENA reported.
One of the delegates, Ter Tongyik Majok, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Peace, Development and Security Studies at the University of Juba, said the benefits of this major project go to the entire region.
“The dam has a lot of significance in terms of regional integrations. We can actually see from the background that the water is enough, the water is flowing downstream. I don’t think that there is actually a fear from the neighbors in terms of the water flow.”
The visit underlines the unwavering stand and genuine gesture of the country to further cement trust and build confidence of regional nations in its key projects and their cause for collective growth.
Ethiopia is farsighted in its national projects in terms of ensuring regional significance. In fact, Ethiopia has proved that regional integration, which has now become largely a buzzword, is possible and attainable.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY16 MAY 2025
