By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called on Sudan and Egypt “to nurture the narrative towards building peace, cooperation, mutual co-existence and development of all our people without harming one another.”
Electricity is a basic infrastructure lacking in Ethiopia and over 53% of my fellow citizens or about 60 Million people do not have access. Without electricity no country has ever managed to defeat poverty, brought about inclusive growth, secured a dignified life for its citizens, and managed to attain sustainable economic, social and environmental development. Hence why Ethiopia believes that Nile waters can be developed reasonably and equitably for the benefit of all people of riparian countries, without causing significant harm.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a good example that is demonstrative of the principle of cooperation. The dam has been constructed through the earnest contribution of all citizens of Ethiopia and holds multiple benefits for the two downstream countries of Sudan and Egypt, as well as the East African region at large.
A large volume of the Nile water body, amounting to about 85%, originates from the highlands of Ethiopia. As a transboundary resource, this water traverses through Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. The Ethiopia side comes from the tributaries of Abbay, Baro and Tekeze rivers while the other 15% of the Nile comes from other upstream Nile riparian countries. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, (GERD), is under construction near the border with the Sudan, where all tributaries of the Abbay join the main stem of the river. This consequently makes the location ideal to maximize electricity generation.
The major function of the GERD is to manage the highly variable flow of the Abbay and produce 15,700-Gigawatt electricity since for Ethiopia electricity remains a resource that is enormously lacking. Large quantity of the flow (about 90%) occurs within four months of the rainy season and during the rest of the year the mighty Abbay trickles like a small river. The dam is needed to regulate this variable flow by reducing flooding and augmenting dry flow.