Food & Climate
Ethiopia has completed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), located on the world’s longest river, and has invited downstream countries Egypt and Sudan to attend the opening ceremony in September, despite both countries’ continued opposition to Addis Ababa’s position on the project.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in his message to Egypt and Sudan: “To our downstream neighbors, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam does not represent a threat, but rather a shared opportunity.”
Egypt responded through Irrigation Minister Hani Sweilem, who said: “Egypt rejects that development in Africa be at the expense of downstream countries.”
During a visit to Uganda, a Nile Basin country, two days ago, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty conveyed a message from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni. Museveni affirmed Egypt’s commitment to taking all necessary measures, guaranteed by international law, to protect its water security, given the failure to reach a binding agreement between Egypt and Ethiopia regarding the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. While the Foreign Minister’s comment does not differ significantly from previous statements made by him and Egyptian officials, which continued even after the decision to halt negotiations, the Ethiopian comments were consistent with their predecessors, most recently by their ambassador to the United Kingdom, who stated that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) would benefit all Nile Basin countries.
With the ongoing statements and counter-statements, Egypt appears to be the biggest loser from the GERD, as it has been unable to take any action to halt construction or filling of the dam until it reached its fifth filling this summer. We are just days away from its inauguration, according to reports seen by “Food & Climate” Platform.
The Steps of Building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
Construction of the GERD began after the 2010 Entebbe Agreement, also known as the “Nile Basin Cooperative Framework.”
It establishes a legal framework for resolving disputes and conflicts, ends the historical quotas of Egypt and Sudan, imposes a redistribution of water, and allows upstream countries to establish water projects without the consent of downstream countries, a requirement rejected by Egypt and Sudan.
The Entebbe Agreement came into effect in October 2024. While upstream countries, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have signed it, Egypt has called on the Nile Basin countries to reconsider the Cooperative Framework Agreement.
Previous agreements, such as the 1959 Entebbe Agreement, guaranteed fixed Nile River water quotas for the two downstream countries: 55 billion cubic meters per year for Egypt and 18 billion cubic meters for Sudan.
The Nile River waters meet more than 95% of Egypt’s water needs, which suffer from water scarcity, with per capita water availability of less than 500 cubic meters per year. This means that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) poses a significant threat to Egypt.
Egypt and Sudan have been negotiating with Ethiopia for years, but despite the negotiations, Addis Ababa has continued to build and fill the dam, prompting Cairo to suspend negotiations in March 2024. Former Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said at the time: “Ethiopia only cares about individual interests and does not observe the minimum principles of good neighborliness. This is what prompted the decision to suspend participation in these negotiations, which do not lead to tangible results as long as Ethiopia continues with its current approach.”
Ethiopia did not stop work on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam until it announced its completion.
Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Biruk Mekonnen Demissie , wrote an article in the International Business Times on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, in which he said: “Ethiopia is preparing to inaugurate the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The construction of the dam was inspired by the lessons learned from the devastating famine of 1984 and their determination to improve food and energy security for the Ethiopian people.”
Misinformation
On the occasion of the imminent inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Ethiopian ambassador to the United Kingdom said: “The GERD’s potential extends far beyond Ethiopia. It provides Sudan with better flood control, reduced sedimentation, dams like the Roseires, and the opportunity for more reliable water flow during dry seasons. Egypt can also benefit from access to affordable renewable electricity and reduced water loss through evaporation, given the GERD’s smaller reservoir design compared to Lake Nasser.”
However, Egyptian-American space scientist Dr. Essam Heggy confirmed in previous statements that the GERD crisis between Ethiopia and Egypt is related to a lack of agreement on water allocations during drought.
He added: “Early fears of significant water shortages downstream have not materialized. Since partial operation, Nile water flows have remained stable, and the GERD has helped reduce the risk of floods and droughts through seasonal regulation.” He added, “Ethiopia has also demonstrated transparency and called on Egypt and Sudan to monitor the filling of the reservoir and assess its impact—calls it has rejected. Demands for external interference in its management ignore Ethiopia’s sovereign right to operate the infrastructure it built and financed independently.”
However, dam expert Dr. Mohamed Hafez previously told “DW” that approximately 50 billion cubic meters of water were stored during the third and fourth fillings—in 2022 and 2023—which resulted in a 1.5-meter drop in the level of Lake Nasser compared to the previous four years (until 2023).
He added that although Lake Nasser has received 90% of Sudan’s share since April 2023 due to the Sudanese civil war, which added approximately 25 billion cubic meters, the lake’s actual level would have decreased by 7.5 meters if Sudan had enjoyed political stability. The Nile River is Egypt’s sole lifeline, providing the North African country with nearly all of its freshwater needs. It is also a means of river transportation, Nile tourism, and sports such as rafting.