Ethiopia Commissions Africa’s Largest Hydroelectri...

Ethiopia Commissions Africa’s Largest Hydroelectric Dam

Zim Now Writer

Ethiopia has officially inaugurated the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a US$5 billion hydroelectric project on the Blue Nile that now stands as Africa’s largest.

Capable of generating more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity, the dam is set to transform Ethiopia’s energy sector and position the country as a regional power exporter.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described the launch as a “shared opportunity” that will drive growth across the Horn of Africa and beyond. Festivities began on Monday night with lantern displays and drones painting the sky with slogans such as “geopolitical rise” and “a leap into the future.”

Several regional leaders, including Kenya’s President William Ruto and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, attended the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday.

Constructed by Italian company Webuild, the massive structure lies just 14 kilometres from the Sudanese border, stretching 1.8km in width and rising 145 metres high.

According to experts, the dam will not only provide Ethiopia with reliable energy but also help regulate river flow and reduce flooding during the rainy season. Abdullah Abderrahman, the administrator of Sudan’s Roseires Dam downstream, noted that GERD has already contributed to easing overflow and reducing the silt that once shrank Roseires’ storage capacity by a third.

Pietro Salini, CEO of Webuild, hailed the dam as a landmark achievement that can deliver benefits far beyond Ethiopia. “Regulating the water from this dam will create an additional benefit to neighbours,” he said.

Dessalegn Chanie Dagnew, a water resources professor at Bahir Dar University and Ethiopian parliamentarian, emphasised that the project should be seen as a foundation for stronger ties in the region.

“Rather than creating division, GERD will also serve as a project that can really bring about regional integration and cooperation,” he said.

First proposed in 2011, GERD has taken over a decade to complete. Its commissioning marks a historic moment for Ethiopia as it pushes to expand electricity access at home and strengthen its role in the regional energy market.