Ethiopia has marked a significant milestone with the completion of its mega-dam on the Blue Nile, a project that has been a focal point of contention with both Egypt and Sudan. This ambitious project, which commenced in 2011 with a budget of approximately $4 billion (£2.9 billion), stands as the largest hydro-electric plant in Africa, highlighting Ethiopia’s aspirations to meet its burgeoning energy needs.
Ethiopia views the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as pivotal for its development, intending to provide electricity to the majority of its population, roughly 60% of whom currently lack reliable power. However, neighboring countries Egypt and Sudan are apprehensive, perceiving the dam as a threat to their water security from the Nile. Egypt, reliant on the Nile for nearly all its freshwater, has expressed concerns that even a minimal reduction in water flow could significantly impact its agricultural land, leading to the potential loss of 200,000 acres of irrigated territory.
In his statements from 2020, then-President of the United States, Donald Trump, emphasized Egypt’s drastic sentiments regarding the dam, noting that the Egyptian leadership had even suggested potential military action against it. “Egypt will not be able to water a single crop if the dam is completed as it stands,” Trump was quoted. These remarks underlined the heightened tensions surrounding the GERD project.