It might have taken 13 years but in the end, the mission can be said accomplished. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, GERD, is now not a fantasy but a concrete reality visible on the ground. The construction of the GERD has passed several stages full of uncertainties and challenges. But among the most contentious was the one that put pressure on the Ethiopian people and the government trying to criminalize them by trying to hurt the downstream countries. Egypt and Sudan along with some of their friends and allies have undertaken a huge propaganda campaign that tried to isolate Ethiopia accusing it of preventing the water of the Nile River from reaching them.
Ethiopia had to use all its diplomatic means, mobilize all its friends and allies and leave no stone unturned to show to the world that it meant no harm to downstream countries. It had to engage international experts on water flows and Transboundary Rivers how the construction of a hydro dam cannot hamper the flow of water and that its only intention is to liberate its people from darkness. It is well known that more than fifty percent of the Ethiopian population still lives in darkness while for instance; Egyptians who rely on the Nile waters enjoy almost total brightness in terms of electric power. Ethiopia had to show to the world that the construction of the dam was its legitimate right as long as it did not inflict significant damage to downstream countries. Ethiopia had to repeatedly show that it has no intention of preventing water from following its usual course once the dam is full and is capable of turning the thirteen turbines that are intended to generate the power that Ethiopia desperately needs to continue with its economic growth trajectory. Everybody has seen that the water has continued to flow regularly and unabated.
Ethiopia is a country of more than one hundred twenty million people and the economy has been struggling to catch up with the growing demands of an increasing population. The country’s needs for electric power have been growing continuously and the only remedy is the construction of such a huge dam as the GERD to catch up with the needs.
Ethiopia did have this plan for a long time but due to financial constraints, it could not realize its ambitious project. When it tried to approach international financial institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank and even rich countries that are historical allies for credit, it was rejected owing to the huge influence of downstream countries which presented their complaints that giving support to Ethiopia to build a huge dam on the Nile would be a security threat for them. Due to such recommendations, Ethiopia could not secure the funds needed to embark on this huge project. For decades hence the project had to be stalled on the shelves just as a dream.
Today, however, Ethiopia has reached a stage in which it can raise the necessary finance to build the dam on its own without asking for any sort of loans or concessions from outside. The government began to mobilize funds for the construction and once the project was launched Ethiopians stood by the side of the government contributing not only financially but also morally.
The GERD became a flagship project and the entire population began to feel as if it were its child to be nurtured and grown. Funds began to be gathered using every means available and eventually, after thirteen years, the dam reached the stage of a concrete and visible reality.
The construction of this dam however was not easy at all. It had lots of ups and downs including the negative meddling of political forces at the national level. Funds are abused and the choice of certain agents which were supposed to carry out certain sectors of the construction failed due to incapacity. This resulted in negatively affecting the smooth carrying out of the construction. With the change of government six years ago, the new administration had to take drastic decisions regarding the activities of the so-called METEC group which was involved in many of the shortcomings. At the same time, there were issues with the Italian construction company in charge of the construction. The delay in certain parts of the construction negatively affected the activities of the Italian company and the loss of money had to be covered by the Ethiopian government. Intense negotiations had to be conducted with the Italian company and the construction continued after long bargaining.
What is more, the opposition against the project continued with Egypt persistently accusing Ethiopia of trying to harm it by seizing and derailing the water of the Nile. Egypt claimed its hegemony on the river citing the colonial pacts of the last century in which Ethiopia, the origin of the river, took no part. Ethiopia presented its opposition to the colonial pacts and claimed that it has the right to use the water that originates in its bosom. Egypt tried to bring the case to the UN alleging that this dam could be a cause for conflict and hence the peace of the region could be in danger. However, despite the repeated Egyptian campaigns at the UN Security Council, and its continuous propaganda mounted everywhere in the world, it could not stop the project.
Even if controversies continued to rage Ethiopia did not stop building the dam and progress continued to be recorded by the year. Ethiopians continued to rally behind their government as never before, comparing it to the campaign of the battle of Adwa. Internal political or other differences did not prevent them from uniting on this project. The dam became the symbol of sovereignty, unity and dignity of Ethiopia. Every Ethiopian contributed something to the dam in an attempt to put their lasting fingerprints on the project. There was a feeling of ownership and that has helped the dam take off and continue in its construction. A huge sacrifice was paid to realize this project and now Ethiopia has shown to the world that it can achieve whatever it wants to, if united. The GERD is considered not only as a source of pride of Ethiopia but also for all of Africa. It has shown to the world that developing countries can achieve whatever they want even if they are not ‘supported’ by international financial groups and rich countries.
The GERD is considered as a symbol of Ethiopian sovereignty, Ethiopian independence and its resilient resistance to foreign interference. Many of the international mainstream media had shown their partisanship with downstream countries never bothering to highlight the rationale of Ethiopia. But that too mattered little because it did not stop the train of construction.
As Ethiopia prepares to mark the 13th anniversary of the launching of the GERD, it cannot forget the ups and downs of the process of realizing this huge project. Today, Ethiopians can be proud of this achievement. Ethiopia can now export power, and clean energy at cheap prices to neighboring countries and this is one more marble in the efforts of the continent to achieve regional integration with economic cooperation.
The chief engineer of the GERD has said that the dam will very shortly begin to move five more turbines and generate more power. In the meantime, there are arrangements underway to export power to not only neighboring countries but also to countries as far as South Africa and Tanzania. Ethiopia is making huge leaps forward with the completion of this dam. And it cannot be considered only a simple dam. It has a huge national meaning because it has shown that Ethiopians can achieve anything if they work in unison. They have shown that internal unity is a a key in defeating any outside interference which tries to derail the nation from its sustained economic growth trajectory.
All those who were blindly siding with Egypt without considering a word of what Ethiopia was saying must now have realized that they got it all wrong. Ethiopia has only used its rights to develop its natural resources to change the livelihoods of its millions of citizens who live in darkness, just as any sovereign state is required to do. This is not only legitimate under international conventions, laws and protocols but also a mandatory obligation that governments must take care of their citizens.
Economic growth is the first manner of trying to address the problems of the lives of millions. Ethiopia’s expanding industries desperately need power and this dam addresses exactly this need. Today Ethiopia can continue with its development growth trajectory with confidence. The GERD is a game changer and Ethiopia can be now cited as a country that can also stand on its own when necessary. We can say the completion of the GERD project is the beginning of a new era, a new epoch for Ethiopians and in a broader sense for the entire African continent that can be cited as an example of resilience and rejection of persistent challenges.
Ethiopia continues to underline that this project has nothing to do with trying to harm the life of downstream countries and water experts have testified that the project has no similar intent and any political manipulations to isolate Ethiopia and even try to shame it has not succeeded. Rather the GERD must be taken as a symbol of cooperation among riparian states, not a source of contention and enmity. It is a contribution to more economic integration among Africans and many states could benefit from cheap and clean energy thanks to the GERD.
Millions of Ethiopians who have been living in the dark despite the existence of such a huge resource as the Nile will now breathe some relief. Other similar projects can be achieved in any African country following the example of the GERD. Who said that Africa is condemned to always live in poverty and stretch its hands in search of favors and charity if it can mobilize its internal resources and use them with intelligence and wisdom? The GERD is just one example of such potential, an answer to certain long overdue questions. Africa may be a rich continent by the admission of every expert but it has not had the leaders it deserves which could be game changers leaving aside internal squabbles and rivalries, setting aside their egos. Africans must know that they should rise to the challenges awaiting them and free their people of backwardness.
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 26 MARCH 2024
