Ethiopia has premeditated viable ways to be great and influential state of the continent in near future. It commenced self-financed mega projects and life changing trekking combining the efforts at home and abroad., and all citizens have been committed to make their country’s vision a reality. In due course of running all social, economic, technological, cultural and political aspects, the country has been encountering a range of obstacles hindering the smooth flow of activities.
For instance, the political escalation of tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt based on current issues and the expectations for requirements that must be met with a view to coming up with powerful and cooperative east African nations. The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the launching of the strategy of buttressing homegrown economy and the plan to create a number of job opportunities have come at the forefront to help Ethiopia overcome aid dependency.
Speaking about the role of scholars and academia in helping the nation bring about differences in all aspects, Almaw Kifle (Ph.D) said as a result of the trauma and threat they have developed out of the recent regime, scholars are not contributing what is expected of them to the overall progress and development of their country.
“We all have to forward what we feel wrong to help the government gain constructive input to rescue the nation. We are also duty bound to raise public awareness to enable every citizenry to discharge their respective responsibilities as effectively as possible as the cumulative effect of all such matters makes a difference,” he added.
GERD is the lifeblood of Ethiopians. So is the upcoming election to help Ethiopia transform to the next level of democratic stage. The former is a comprehensive one swallowing all the listed aspects as activities in way or another badly need energy. Yes, the dam issue comprises the engineering design, funding, political agreement and consideration of all possible options to help it give birth.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed once said, “So long as it is our dam being constructed with no penny from foreign countries as we all have been committed to complete it employing the support from our subsistent life and it is our natural right to develop resource, no one holds us back from the prompt move of constructing the dam and converting its culture of holding fertile soil to being a sympathetically acting nurse to motherly treat its homeland and the people it houses.”
Undeniably, proper management of water is crucial in this country. The dam, which is already over 80% complete, will very likely be completed in its entirety. As the issue of the Nile or the dam is substantially intertwined in the politics of the governments of the three nations, they have to come to the right direction to make the dam a weapon for proliferated international recognition.
Ethiopian water resource planning is in charge of satisfying the ever-increasing water demands which are dictated by a rapidly growing population, increased urbanization, higher standards of living, and an agricultural policy emphasizing expanded production in order to feed the growing population.
If truth be told, irrigation water, which is the absolutely crucial part of Ethiopia’s agriculture has to satisfy demands of even larger population and increasing living standards, said Shimelis Abdisa, Oromia State president. If we substitute import producing yields locally, if we use our resources properly damming at various places, if we are mobilizing the youth to be productive through creating a range of job opportunities, Ethiopia can easily declare its independence over poverty, he added. As to him, this country is well endowed with a range of natural resources, tangible and intangible heritages, precious minerals, and even more than sufficient labor force. Hence, bringing about change and prosperity for Ethiopia is in its palm.
But the escalation of tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt over the construction of the GERD is based on a misunderstanding of the full right of Ethiopia, which is contributing over 86% to the Nile waters to exploit its water resource. The GERD does not spell disaster for the downstream riparian states because hydropower generation is largely a non-consumptive water use.
“Hence, Egypt needs to acknowledge that Ethiopia has a right to develop its water resources infrastructure for the benefit of its people based on the principle of equitable use, and agree not to baffle the smooth process of the construction of the dam as it is going to be very important boulevard for all riparian countries,” said Dr. Almaw.
The long-term goal of Ethiopia is lifting its impoverished citizens who are leading life in darkness via securing food security, intensifying development, securing more and more jobs thereby coming up with increased resilience to the impacts of climate change at the local level upon completion of the national asset—the GERD.
The GERD is a ‘game changer’ of course, with no significant harm on downstream countries, rather is believed to use as glue to further fortify the political economy of the riparian countries. For the first time, Ethiopia has been able to combine the geographic power derived from its location as an upstream country and the material power of sustained economic growth that allowed it to construct the GERD with no foreign funding. To weigh up the benefits and costs of counter-hegemonic dam projects, it is better to entertain the concept of benefit-sharing.
Each country has sought to maintain old alliances and form new regional relations to influence the interests of the other in the Nile basin and the Horn of Africa. This approach has to continue to resolve the crisis over the GERD.
The Declaration of Principles (DOP) introduces a new model of cooperation that is not only important for averting conflicts over the GERD, but it can also be duplicated in future Ethiopian projects. However, hard choices and trade-offs will have to be made by the three Eastern Nile countries to translate the DOP into a benefit-sharing deal.
The momentum provided by the recent rapprochement over the GERD needs to be used to establish more sustainable economic links that create interest for a stable political relationship between the two countries.
In a nut shell, as Ethiopia and Ethiopians has said they will not need external assistance to complete their flagship hydroelectric dam, and the government has mobilized domestic resources to fund work from A to Z. It is unfair not to cite what the Premier said at a certain occasion, ‘completing the project with local resources has been a position that will not be compromised.’
Capitalizing on the project, which is going to produce over 6,400MW of power – and will have the pride of being the largest on the continent, is a matter of making the nation. In so doing, Ethiopia will be East Africa’s leading power exporter and a top renewable energy hub on the continent.
Yes, Ethiopia will make a real difference via entertaining a combination of power generating sources: hydroelectric, geothermal, wind and solar energies. Apart from political obligation and involvement in the region, Ethiopia is capable of being a strong business force despite being closed in.
The Egyptian government should strengthen the cooperation ties through better cultural, social, economic and political relations with the Nile Basin countries and support the Upper Nile projects, which will increase the Nile water quota, which potentially encourage governmental and private investments in the Nile basin states. It should also support the role of scientific research to develop new affordable desalinization techniques and to introduce new agriculture seeds that have high productivity, high diseases resistance and low water consumption.
Egypt should agree that Ethiopia has right to construct the GERD and three countries Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan should come to an agreement on the equitable and just water utilization in a bid to make prosperous Horn.
BY MENGESHA AMRE
The Ethiopian Herald June 8/2021
