Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia todays urges all Ethiopians to unite and complete the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), his country is building on the Nile River.
He urged all the citizens of Ethiopia to continue their financial contribution to complete the over 70 percent completed construction of GERD, which is set to begin filling water in the coming rainy season starting July. In his message entitled, ‘We will prevent coronavirus and complete the dam’, Prime Minister Abiy indicated that GERD is one of the precious wealth of Ethiopia. “The reason we give due emphasis for GERD is because it is symbol of our sovereignty and, it is also a bondage that tied us together. We will complete the construction and start filling water in the coming rainy season,” he said.
He noted that GERD is not only the project Ethiopians have invest in by contributing money from their shortage (daily subsistence), but it is also a project that Ethiopians have shown the world their capacity to achieve great things. Prime Minister Abiy made the statement in commemoration of the ninth anniversary of the launching of GERD construction. He urged all Ethiopians to unite for preventing coronavirus spread and to the completion of GERD.
When completed Ethiopia’s over $4.5 billion GERD will be the biggest hydroelectric power dam in Africa generating about 6,000 megawatts of electricity. meanwhile, one of the lower Nile river stream country, Egypt, which has been benefiting a lot from the river, has not been happy about GERD. It has been expressing its concern that GERD will reduce the water volume Egypt used to get from the Nile River.
Though negotiations among the major Nile riparian countries, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt has been going on for about a decade, so far no final deal is reached. The recent negation in Washington D. C, has also failed after Ethiopia refused to sign the deal reportedly ‘drafted by the United Sates Government favoring Egypt’.