All African nations esteem to work round the clock to bring the continent’s renaissance journey through their Agenda 2063 in general and to attain renewable and environmental friendly energy generation cooperatively to alleviate poverty in particular.
In this regard, completion of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) requires a fully exerted collaboration of African nations since it is Africa’s largest and the world eighth largest dam.
Every African nation needs to courageously collaborate for the accomplishment of the continental grand project to supplement the development efforts of not only Ethiopia but Africa at large with a typical hydroelectric power with the sense of no time to bargain for self-interest.
Africans have to devote themselves to see a more developed and prosperous Africa through collaborating on construction of grand projects like Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam-which has multiple purposes to the benefits of not only to Ethiopians but also to peoples of the sub-region and even beyond.
GERD’s accomplishment should not be stalled for a single reason by any African nation as its success is meant to deliver various benefits to the countries in the Nile Basin as well.
As has been said time and again, the dam controls floods to downstream countries while providing hydroelectric power, by harnessing the power of water, the cheapest form of energy, and providing water for irrigation to downstream countries, traces for navigation of boats, barges and places for recreation etc.
These expected GERD outputs have been considered by the government of Ethiopia right from the inception of the project. Ethiopia had also no any record of benefiting itself by harming others.
It has vowed not to disadvantage other Nile Basin countries without compromising on its sovereign rights on a river that starts from one of its poor rural areas where the community is still using candles to light their nights and firewood to cook their food, not to mention other disadvantages from their lack of electricity in the modern human life.
For this reason, though Ethiopia is leading the 4 billion USD project constructions unaccompanied, the project is not for the nation only. Rather GERD is a symbol of the nation’s as well as the continent’s confidence, commitment and dignity like the Adwa Battle against the then colonial power.
That is why, the cornerstone lying event of the GERD had caused the mobilization of the whole Ethiopians from within and abroad. Even to date, it has electrified the hearts of all Ethiopians at every corner with one noble agenda regardless of any differences that might have prevailed amongst them like at the time of Adwa Battle.
For Ethiopia predominantly and for Africa as a whole, both GERD and The Battle of Adwa will continue to be representations of the nation’s and the continent’s unity, dignity, prosperity, self-reliance and without a doubt what are they not.
Accordingly, those African nations who are proud of The Battle of Adwa as The Symbol of African Strength and Freedom, should march along with Ethiopians for the fulfillment of the GERD energy production without unintellectual self-centered reasoning.
We Africans have to repeat what our patriotic forefathers had done against colonial aggression forces by working hard and in collaboration to the completion of Africa’s leading flag-ship project, GERD, and to its challenging but achievable sustainable and safe energy production.
The Ethiopian Herald September 20/2019
