American Political Analyst Says GERD Proves African Capabilities in Infrastructure Dev’t

Addis Ababa, September 19, 2025 (ENA) -- The American political analyst Dr. Andrew Korybko said that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) proves that the Ethiopian people in particular and Africans more broadly, are capable of building large-scale infrastructure projects on their own.

GERD, inaugurated last week in the presence of dignitaries from neighboring countries, marked the culmination of a 14-year journey to harness the Abay River for Ethiopia’s development.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Korybko noted that the GERD reflects the broader multipolar trend of Global South countries strengthening their sovereignty through self-empowerment.

“As regards Ethiopia in particular, it’s solidifying its role as Africa’s leader, which it’s already been playing by virtue of being the largest un-colonized country on the continent and host of the African Union,” he elaborated.

According to him, GERD has placed Ethiopia firmly on the path to electricity self-sufficiency, which will unleash its untapped economic potential as more citizens gain access to power.

In any case, Ethiopia is indisputably the regional leader, and all its neighbors would benefit from cooperating with it, he added.

Korybko underscored that Ethiopia’s experience in conceptualizing, financing, and constructing GERD can serve as a valuable lesson for other African nations seeking to carry out their own projects.

The purpose is to further empower Africa as a whole in connection with the multipolar trends of this era.

On regional dynamics, the analyst said Ethiopia has proven more than capable of defending its legitimate national interests with respect to its use of the Abay River, urging the downstream countries to respectfully engage with Ethiopia on this issue. 

Saber-rattling, waging information warfare, and trying to involve other countries have all failed, the American political analyst stated.

Looking ahead, he noted that the planned export of electricity throughout the region will enable Ethiopia to help more of its population obtain access to this utility, which will in turn help unleash their economic potential.

“GERD can therefore become a vehicle for regional peace as well as regional development,” he concluded.

Ethiopia has recently inaugurated the largest hydropower dam in Africa, which has a capacity of generating 5,150 megawatts of electric power, making it among the 20 biggest hydropower dams in the world.

The dam is expected to supply electricity to millions of Ethiopians, in addition to its substantial role in enhancing industrial growth within the nation, while also providing power to neighboring countries.