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https://theconversation.com/ethiopia-has-struggled-to-build-national-unity-can-its-big-new-dam-deliver-it-265630>
"The formal launch of Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in September
2025 made news across the world. There was pomp and ceremony as Africa’s
largest hydroelectric dam was officially inaugurated after 14 years and US$5
billion worth of project work.
The project’s completion fulfils a national dream long in the making. It was
formally initiated by the late Meles Zenawi, who served as president of
Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995 and as prime minister from 1995 until his death in
2012. But the idea of a dam on the Ethiopian Nile dates back even further. As
early as the 1950s, Emperor Haile Selassie recognised the potential of a dam
for Ethiopia’s developmental needs.
This vision has occupied the Ethiopian national imagination since then. That is
why Ethiopians celebrated the launch as a significant national achievement.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hailed the dam as a “shared opportunity” for the
region, which stands to gain from surplus electricity exports. The dam’s
opening was also celebrated with street processions across the country.
The completion of the dam is a major achievement. As a hydropower source, it is
expected to deliver practical benefits such as electricity supply to a large
number of Ethiopians. More than that, the dam is also being used to galvanise
national pride and unity.
As a scholar of African politics with an interest in Ethiopia and the Horn of
Africa, my work has focused on the challenges of constructing national unity
and inclusion in Ethiopia.
It is not surprising that the government has seized this moment. National pride
and unity have been low in Ethiopia in recent years.
The quest for national cohesion has occupied Ethiopian state builders
stretching back from the imperial state up until the present period. Previous
attempts proved to be largely symbolic, however, with limited transformative
power.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam risks falling into the same pattern. Its
inauguration comes in the aftermath of a largely unresolved conflict in Tigray,
and amid intense political fragmentation and ongoing civil wars in Ethiopia.
When the war with Tigray ended, others erupted in different parts of the
country, most notably in the Amhara and Oromo regions."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
