Ethiopia’s Controversial Dam GERD Completed: PM Abiy Ahmed

July 4, 2025

(3 Minutes Read)

With its 1,800 metres long and 175 metres high, it is now the largest in Africa. It is backed by a reservoir that can hold up to 74 billion cubic metres of water, according to the main contractor.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Thursday that a controversial multi-billion-dollar mega-dam on the Blue Nile was now complete. He told lawmakers that the dam would be inaugurated in September.

The completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project is a major milestone for the country. The construction began in 2011 with a USD 4 billion budget. The dam is located about 500 kilometres northwest of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

With its 1,800 metres long and 175 metres high, it is now the largest in Africa. It is backed by a reservoir that can hold up to 74 billion cubic metres of water.

The project has become a controversial issue with neighbouring Egypt and Sudan over equitable sharing of the water. Egypt said the dam would deplete its share of Nile River waters and has referred to it as an existential threat.

Negotiations between Ethiopia and Egypt over the years have not led to an agreement. How much water Ethiopia will release downstream during drought is not settled.

The dam began producing power in 2022. It is expected to ultimately produce over 6,000 megawatts of electricity, double Ethiopia’s current output. The country insists the dam is a crucial development that will help pull millions of its citizens out of poverty and become a major power exporter.