Never Has Abay River Been Fair Prior to GERD Inauguration

By Henok Tadele

Addis Ababa, September 9, 2025 (ENA)— After 14 years of relentless endeavors,  and unshakable dedication, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed today — 9 September 2015 (Pagumen 4, 2017 E.C.),  inaugurated the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a monumental victory that crowns Ethiopia’s resilience and heralds a new era of national pride.

Ethiopia has been deprived of harnessing the Abay River for its development endeavors, despite contributing
over 86 percent of water to downstream Nile Basin states. For millennia, generations of Ethiopians have watched the Abay River simply flowing to basin states without serving its origin.

Abay washed away Ethiopian soil to a great extent. This continued for centuries. So glaring was the injustice, hampering Ethiopia to utilize a bucket of Abay water for whatever development undertakings!

Against this backdrop, Ethiopia took a bold step to building a hydro power dam on Abay River. Former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi laid the foundation stone to commence the construction of GERD on 2 April 2011.Credit where credit is due!

GERD's inauguration is a clear signal to the world. Ethiopia is charting its own course. The dam is a driver of regional cooperation, stimulating other African nations to foster development based on win-win approach and leverage economic emancipation.

The GERD has created a phenomenal reservoir, named Nigat Lake (Dawn Lake). Today's inauguration marks the most joyous and monumental day in Ethiopian history. With span of 14 years of unwavering construction and immense sacrifice, Abay River has ever become fair to Ethiopia to generate hydropower with its massive reservoir of 74 billion cubic meters of water.

Hence, GERD's completion evokes feelings of both heartbreak and euphoria among Ethiopians. It is worth celebrating. The inauguration of GERD penetrates deep in the soul, causing teardrops. The groundbreaking and inauguration of GERD stirred the hearts and souls of Ethiopians. Simply put, GERD is the biggest dream that generations have longed for centuries to see this happen.

It is a historic milestone for Ethiopians—proof of what a nation can achieve when united by purpose, belief, and commitment.The GERD, which is Africa's largest hydro power dam, stands as a testament to what a determined nation can achieve. It is a monumental milestone not only for Ethiopia but also for the entire African continent. It is justice carved in concrete and filled with water. It is the fulfillment of a vision once declared impossible. It is a voice long silenced, finally rising with power.

                                             When the World Turns Its Back Ethiopia Stands Tall

When Ethiopia finally dared to realize the overdue dreams of the past generations and broke ground, the GERD was met with fierce resistance; not with support. Major international financial institutions declined to finance the hydro power project; not because the dam lacked merit nor Ethiopia lacked vision but to uphold the hegemony of Nile waters.

Through back channel diplomacy, imposition and pressure mounted on Ethiopia to halt constructing the dam but to no avail. The Ethiopian people and government continued to construct the hydro power dam to generate electricity for rural communities, its growing economy as well as for the entire regional power connectivity. The mega project could have been financed by international financial institutions or co-financed with riparian states given its regional implications. Sadly, Ethiopia was told to stay in the dark.

Faced with global indifference, Ethiopia made a bold decision to finance the dam itself. The imposition coming from others was a red line for Ethiopian people and government who have endured obstacles painstakingly to complete the dam with a spirit of resilience.

 This century-old injustice prompted the Ethiopian public and government to gather unwavering strength and unity to finance the dam. Across the nation, people rose up to take whatever it took to finish the construction of GERD.

Civil servants contributed their salary to GERD. Farmers bought bonds by selling their harvest. Children put coins in donation boxes. Artists staged concerts to fund raise and motivate the entire public to rally behind the dam. Religious leaders preached unity. The poor gave both what they could and could not afford. This was a true national awakening, a collective act of defiance against injustice.

The GERD has a storage capacity of 74 billion cubic meters of water and a power generation capacity of over 5,150 megawatts, enough to double Ethiopia’s electricity consumption and light the region with clean and sustainable energy.

                                     GERD—A Win for All Riparian States

Despite years of opposition and misinformation from downstream states, the GERD offers unequivocally blessings to all Nile basin states, both to Sudan and Egypt.

GERD mitigates flood risks and sedimentation in downstream countries, boosting agricultural productivity. Additionally, the dam’s sediment-trapping capacity will extend the lifespan of downstream dam infrastructure. 

By preventing devastating floods during the rainy season and ensuring a stable supply during the dry months, the dam will bring economic revitalization to millions of farmers, to Sudan, for instance.

Water stored in the reservoir of GERD, high in the Ethiopian highlands and within deep gorges, will save significant cubic meters of water from evaporation, unlike at the Aswan Dam.

It is regrettable that Ethiopia has been deprived of harnessing the Abay River for development. Egypt and Sudan held hegemony in the use of the Nile's waters. Consider the paradox, Ethiopia, which contributes most of the water, has been prevented from utilizing its share of the Abay water. This has perpetuated harsh droughts, poverty, and widespread energy deprivation, especially in rural communities.

Envisioned as a driving force for sustainable development, the GERD is generating hydropower to supply electricity to millions of Ethiopians who have been without light thus far as well as boost industrial growth and augment regional power connectivity as well.

With abundant clean energy, Ethiopia will power not just its factories and homes, but also integrate economies across East Africa, fostering regional prosperity and stability.

                                     The Abay River Become Fair

For generations, Ethiopian songs and poems described Abay as a neglected might. The metaphor of Abay, soaked in pain, has now been transformed into fairness—it started serving all its basin states and the entire region.

As the turbines begin to spin and lights begin to shine across the region, the world must hear the new rhythm rising from East Africa. The Nile has spoken, and now it speaks with fairness.