Prime Minister Abiy Ahimed Inaugurated GERD

In a poignant and historically significant moment, Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed was overcome with emotion and moved to tears during the eve of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) inauguration ceremony held in Guba, the dam’s location. This powerful display was witnessed by an assembly of the nation’s highest-ranking officials, who had gathered to mark the culmination of a monumental national endeavor. The event served as a prelude to the dam’s official inauguration, which is scheduled for September 9, 2025.

Prime Minister Abiy’s tears were far more than a personal reaction; they were a reflection of the immense weight and symbolic importance of the GERD to the Ethiopian nation. First launched in 2011 under former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the dam represents over a decade of immense collective effort and sacrifice. As Africa’s largest hydroelectric power plant, its statistics are staggering: it stands 145 meters tall, stretches 1,800 meters wide, and creates a reservoir with a capacity of 74 billion cubic meters of water.

Financed predominantly through domestic bonds and public donations, the GERD is a point of intense national pride, a testament to Ethiopia’s ability to self-fund a transformative project despite external pressures. Its primary purpose is to generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity, which will not only end chronic domestic energy shortages for over 60% of the population currently without power but also position Ethiopia as a key energy exporter to neighboring nations, fueling regional economic growth.

However, the journey has been fraught with immense geopolitical challenges, primarily concerning downstream nations Egypt and Sudan, leading to protracted and tense negotiations over water rights and filling schedules. Abiy’s emotion likely encompassed the relief of navigating these complex diplomatic waters and the pride of seeing the project reach its final stages against all odds. His tears on the eve of the inauguration, therefore, symbolized a nation’s resilience, the fulfillment of a long-held dream for energy independence, and the dawning of a new chapter of prosperity and strategic importance for Ethiopia.