Ethiopia has announced the completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa’s largest hydroelectric project, which began construction in 2011 and is set to be inaugurated in September 2025. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed confirmed this in parliamentary remarks yesterday.

Spanning the mighty Blue Nile, the GERD stretches 1.8 kilometers and towers at 145 meters high. It can hold up to 74 billion cubic meters of water and generate more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to nearly double Ethiopia’s current power supply. For millions of Ethiopians still living without consistent access to electricity, the dam represents a promise of light, development, and economic dignity.

Ethiopia is extending invitations to Egypt, Sudan, and all Nile Basin nations to attend the inauguration, in hopes of framing the dam as a shared asset rather than a source of regional tension. “To our neighbours downstream—Egypt and Sudan—our message is clear: the Renaissance Dam is not a threat, but a shared opportunity,” the Prime Minister reiterated.

That message is part of a broader effort to ease years of regional tension. Egypt and Sudan have voiced concerns over how the dam might affect downstream water flow, but Ethiopian officials have repeatedly assured the world that not a drop has been taken from Egypt’s share of the Nile.

However, in an interview aired Monday with Egyptian television, Egyptian Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Hani Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s firm stance. He emphasized that Egypt reserves the right to defend its water interests if faced with any threat, stating, “Egypt will not allow, under any circumstances, any infringement on its historical share of Nile waters.”

Abdelatty also criticized the negotiation process, describing it as a means to impose a fait accompli without achieving consensus. He noted that Egypt’s current water share is already insufficient to meet its national demand, underlining the stakes at play in the ongoing Nile dispute.