Ethiopia is set to inaugurate the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa’s largest hydroelectric project, built entirely with domestic funds, in a few weeks. Positioned on the Blue Nile, GERD promises to double Ethiopia’s power output and support its industrial ambitions. Egypt, which gets 86% of its Nile waters from the Blue Nile, and Sudan have raised concerns. However, Ethiopia insists the dam won’t disrupt water flow but instead offers regional benefits like reduced flooding and increased power exports. At the heart of the dispute is Egypt’s reliance on an outdated colonial-era treaty with Britain that excluded upstream nations like Ethiopia. Addis Ababa argues that Britain’s colonial-era treaty has no legal bearing on current water rights. In place of the colonial-era treaty, Ethiopia supports the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement to ensure fair water use for all riparian states.
Aljazeera
