Ethiopia hits out at Trump over mega-dam allegation

2025-07-26 07:04:42

(MENAFN) Ethiopia has firmly rejected claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that Washington financed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), calling the statement untrue and harmful.

At a recent dinner with Republican senators, Trump asserted that the massive hydropower dam on the Blue Nile was built “largely” with American funding. He also suggested that the dam significantly restricts the flow of water into the Nile River, upsetting Egypt, which depends heavily on the river for its water supply. Trump repeated similar comments on his Truth Social account, describing the project as “stupidly financed” by the U.S.

In response, Fikrte Tamir, deputy director of Ethiopia’s GERD Coordination Office, told reporters on Tuesday that the dam was completed entirely through domestic means—without any foreign financial assistance. She emphasized that the project was funded through public donations, salary deductions, and government resources over the 14-year construction period.

Fikrte called for a diplomatic and careful response to Trump’s remarks, stressing that the Ethiopian people had made the project possible through their own efforts.

The GERD, officially completed this month, began construction in 2011 and is now Africa’s largest hydroelectric plant, capable of generating 5.15 gigawatts of power. Originally estimated to cost $4 billion and be completed within six years, the project has become a point of national pride and a potential energy boon for the region.

Despite its significance for Ethiopia, the dam has remained a contentious issue among Nile Basin nations. Egypt and Sudan have raised repeated concerns about reduced water flows downstream. Egypt, which relies on the Nile for nearly all of its freshwater, fears the dam could jeopardize its water security and agricultural output.

So far in the 2024/25 fiscal year, Ethiopians have contributed 1.7 billion birr (about $12.3 million) to the project, reflecting continued public support.

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