Having gone through a lot of rises and falls for over a decade now, Ethiopia has stood tall by embarking on generating partial power from the colossal and flagship project, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The groundbreaking event came as a result of the years of hard work and unflinching determination of all Ethiopians.
With the beginning of the partial power generation, the grand project has entered a final stage heralding a new dawn for the entire continent.
Quite for centuries, Abbay has been a source of pain for Ethiopians, but that has now changed for now and forever thanks to the men and women of Ethiopia.
Ethiopians have indeed turned the pain into gain through its gallant children by building the yes I can project! The day the dam began generating power is one of the biggest days for Ethiopians as Abbay has been a no-use river for Ethiopia for a long. Though the success journey of the GERD is a bitter pill to swallow for the downstream nations, Ethiopia has proudly commenced generating power from the controversial dam with flying colors.
This is a milestone achievement as 60% of the nation battling with a lack of electricity for the most part in the countryside.
The partial power generation came on the heels of the successful first and second dam fillings daunting tasks against all odds.
This turning point marked a new era of hope and prosperity not only for Ethiopians but also for the African continent. However, the journey of the dam was a tiresome one that cannot be expressed in a few words provided that the entire process has been marred by layers of conspiracies from internal and external actors.
As Ethiopia’s adversaries residing at home and abroad moved heaven and earth to halt the construction of the dam bringing into play a number of conspiracies, in the end, Ethiopia turned out to be triumphant over the downstream nations.
The world has now known the fact that Ethiopia has been fighting for the truth. Last Sunday turned out to be a special day for Ethiopians as it brought good news for the entire nation all of a sudden.
When the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in conjunction with Federal and Regional leaders inaugurated the partial power generation ceremony of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), all Ethiopians felt over the moon in next to no time. In the inauguration ceremony, senior
government officials such as former President Mulatu Teshome, former Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn, Speaker of House of People’s Representatives, Tagesse Chafo, Regional leaders, and other dignitaries have partaken.
Speaking from the construction site during the inaugural ceremony, Abiy who hailed former leaders, managers, and experts, and all Ethiopian people for their hard work, noted that the beginning of the power generation showcases Ethiopia’s amicable position on the river for the project does not cause harm to the downstream countries.
Indicating that the dam does not hamper the natural flow of the Nile, the Premier said this power generation is good news for our continent and the downstream countries with which we aspire to work together.
The Prime Minister called on Africans to follow the footstep of Ethiopia in their fight against poverty while pledging Ethiopia’s resolve towards Africa’s power integration. To reach its current stage, GERD has been going through various predicaments. The journey was not that easy.
It was full of conspiracies and controversies provided that Sudan and Egypt have been giving the cold shoulder to the reality on the ground.
In fact, the conspiracies going behind closed doors regarding the GERD by a number of internal and external actors have brought the Ethiopian people together as one. The flag project has played a great role in serving as a hallmark of cooperation more than ever before.
The GERD managed to break the centuries-old dependency mentality since it is being built and bankrolled by the people of Ethiopia. Above and beyond, Ethiopians residing at home and abroad have played a paramount role in building the dam.
Without a shred of a doubt, the flagship project would connect Ethiopia and other African communities that are currently living off the grid in the shortest possible time.
Albeit the downstream nations know the construction and the filling of the GERD does not cause any significant harm to the downstream nations sticking to the principle of fair and equitable utilization of water, they turned a blind eye to all the good things the project brings to them. For all rational people though, the project is a symbol of coordination, not confrontation.
Dejectedly, Egypt and Sudan leave no stone with the intention of internalization and politicization of the dam. Though they made every effort to halt the construction of the dam, all their efforts went for nothing on the grounds of irrefutable truth triumphant over cooked up stories.
Despite the odds, the unwavering stands of Ethiopians have defeated the evil ambitions of internal and external adversaries. “We faced a lot of difficulties together.
This project does not come easily. There have been so many enemies, so many against it. So many difficulties even to find the money because it is easy when you have money; it is easy to make things when you have the money. When you don’t have it, it is much more difficult,” Webuild (former Salini Impregilo) Chief Executive Officer Pietro Salini said.
The Ethiopian government and Salini Impregilo have overcome challenges and enemies in constructing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), according to ENA.
“There are days when your heart is so filled with joy that it is even difficult to speak. This project for us Ethiopians, as I feel myself, is not an ordinary project. It is not something that comes every day.” The company is glad for serving in building the development of Ethiopia through utilizing the water resources of Ethiopia, especially by constructing GERD, overcoming many challenges together with the government, said the CEO.
Mobilizing the resources of citizens, mainly the finance, coupled with the difficulties from enemies to complete the construction of GERD, enable the nation to utilize its water resources for sustainable development was also a challenge that we overcame together, Salini noted.
The commencement of generating electricity that heralds a noteworthy U-turn in the construction of the dam came contrary to all expectations. Needless to say, this achievement testifies the firm determinations and defiance of Ethiopians against foreign intrusion.
Since the inception of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Ethiopia has been pulling out all the stops to get to the bottom of the problem in an orderly fashion.
Furthermore, Ethiopia has been consistent in its attitudes to resolve disagreements over GERD going the extra mile to embolden the two nations.
Now that the dam has begun generating power partially without causing any harm, Egypt and Sudan have no choice but to cooperate with Ethiopia and tap the shared resource through a win-win approach.
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
The Ethiopian Herald 22 February 2022
