BY ADDISALEM MULAT
Ethiopia has been building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), to connect its millions of people living in electricity blackouts to the power grid. The dam, which is expected to double the power supply of the country, has reached a millstone despite negative propaganda by some entities.
Besides constructing the dam, the country has been making extensive efforts to ensure fair utilization of the Abay River. To create common understanding among the downstream countries, the country maintains bold and win- win water diplomacy. In fact, for long the country has been pushing for an equitable and fair utilization of the river.
It is public knowledge that since the laying of the foundation of the colossal project, Ethiopia has been working in partnership with Sudan and Egypt. From being part of the Declarations of Principle to signing a Memorandum of Understating, Ethiopia has gone far to resolve disputed issues diplomatically and peacefully.
Though the construction of the dam reached a point of no return, Egypt has been persistently deviating from the existing circumstances on the ground and continues engaging in desperate attempt to internationalize and politicize the issue.
Notwithstanding the fact that building the dam does not significantly harm the downstream nations, Cairo and its partners have been engaged in a smear campaign against Ethiopia’s game changer project.
As it downplays the capacity of the African Union to resolve African matters, Egypt previously took the matter to the United Nations Security Council to make the technical issue a global affair. But, it failed to achieve its objective with the issue placed back to the jurisdiction of the continental bloc.
Regardless of the fact that Ethiopia spared no effort to resolve predicaments revolving around GERD through AU brokered deal, the downstream nations have been time and again showing their contempt for the continental bloc.
Though a lot of efforts have been made by some entities to thwart the filling of the GERD, Ethiopia accomplished its target and began power generation. As things stand at present, following the nearing of the fourth filling of the colossal dam, Egypt has kicked off its usual rhetoric that does not reflect the prevailing circumstances on the ground.
The interferences of Ethiopia’s adversaries against the flagship project to twist Ethiopia’s arm proved ineffective through the uncompromising stance of the government and the people of Ethiopia. There is no doubt that Ethiopia for long has been going to the ends of the earth the issue of the flagship project to be brokered by the continental bloc putting in place and giving priority to the notion “African solutions to African problems”.
As a result of the kneejerk deeds of the downstream nations, the game changer project still has remained to be the point of origination for aggression and conflict. Notwithstanding the fact that building the dam does not halt the regular flow of water, they have been mystifying time and time again the global community under the veil of fair and equitable utilization of water.
In good truth, in the face of quite a lot of challenges, the people of Ethiopia witnessed earth-shattering millstones by making the impossible possible and the unthinkable thinkable. It is common knowledge that since the beginning of the construction of the flagship project, the dam has continued to be the source of conflict.
It is true that Ethiopia has been building the dam devoid of causing any harm to the downstream nations owing to the fact that Ethiopia strongly believes in equitable and reasonable utilization of the Nile River.
According to a study entitled Benefit of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Project (GERDP) for Sudan and Egypt by Belachew Chekene, University of Huddersfield, UK, and GERD will allow for regulated and sustainable minimum flow levels in the dry season. It will regulate the steady water flow throughout the year and it will avoid unexpected flooding in downstream countries.
“Regarding energy and power production, GERD will allow underperforming downstream hydropower schemes to perform more effectively as there will be more reliable sediment-free and regular availability of water throughout the year. Indeed, GERD will benefit Sudan and Egypt immensely by delivering steady water flow throughout the year.”
Notwithstanding the fact that the dam is one of the main sources of regional economic integration and breathes new life into the country’s socio-economic growth, they have continued distorting facts and mystifying the wider international community with their usual fictitious stories. Instead of taking the benefit they secure out of the colossal project into account, Sudan and Egypt have continued dragging through the mud the efforts of Ethiopia to resolve the problem through a round table discussion.
In a similar vein, in addition to serving as a springboard for taking the country to new heights, the construction of the dam plays a huge role in oiling the wheels of the country’s transition to industrialization. Though Ethiopia left no stone unturned to turn the tide and resolve the problem through round table discussion, the downstream nations in several instances have been igniting conflict.
Last week, the Arab League made a statement saying it would make the GERD issue a permanent agenda in the pan-Arab bloc supporting Egypt’s colonial era water share.
Ethiopia has expressed its dismay over the biased stance by the League of Arab States regarding the filling and operation of the Abay Dam. According to the office of the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the government of Ethiopia is dismayed by the “resolution” issued by the League of Arab States on 9 March 2023 regarding the filling and operation of Abay Dam.
“The management and utilization of the Nile River, including the filling and operation of the Abay Dam, must be left to the concerned parties in Africa. We should not have to remind the League that the Nile River and all the riparian countries are found in Africa.” In its statement, the office stated that the league is once again serving as the spokesperson of one state, disregarding basic principles of international law.
“Such attempts to politicize the issue of Abay Dam neither advance friendly relations nor support the efforts to arrive at amicable solutions, as they are not based on facts or supported by law.” Indicating the African Union (AU) role of facilitator in the trilateral negotiations among Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt to resolve the remaining outstanding issues, the office vividly stated that Ethiopia is guided by the maxim, “African Solutions to African Problems.”
Therefore, the league’s characterization of the negotiations is incorrect, it added. The statement further pointed out that Egypt with its obdurate stance to maintain a colonial era-based self-claimed water allocation and its unending attempts to internationalize the matter is the reason for the delay of the negotiation.
It was learnt that the government of Ethiopia has been committed to the AU-led negotiations. The League’s resolutions and statements by Egypt call into question whether Egypt has been engaged in good faith in the negotiations under the AU’s auspices.
In the statement, Ethiopia has reaffirmed its resolute commitment to continuing the filling and operation of the Abay Dam in accordance with the Agreement on the Declaration of Principles (DoP) of March 2015 signed between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan, with full respect to the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of trans-boundary water resources.
The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has manifested the country’s desire to connect the region through electricity and its belief in mutual growth, Aregawi Berhe (Ph.D.) said.
In the recent past, approached by local media, Aregawi, the Director-General of the Office of the National Council for the Coordination of Public Participation on the Construction of GERD, stated that the mega dam was designed in the way to embrace Ethiopia’s neighbors. The dam is also expected to contribute a great share for Ethiopia’s regional economic integration vision by generating electricity without disrupting the water share of the Nile low riparian countries.
Noting the GERD is nearing completion, the director-general highlighted that the electricity that has been generated from the two turbines has not significantly harmed downstream countries’ water share. “Once the dam is fully operational, neighboring countries will access electricity at fair price and the situation will transform the region to cooperation and address suspicion.”
“The GERD is a game changer project and the people of Ethiopia have built the dam without any foreign support.” The operation of the two turbines of the GERD has also created a great expectation in changing the livelihoods of the rural community and the project is a source of pride and hope for all Ethiopians and Africans at large, he emphasized.
The Ethiopian Herald March 14/2023
