The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd) in Sustaining Peace and Development Between Egypt, Ethiopia and the Sudan
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Date
2016-10
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Addis Ababa University,
Abstract
The Nile River has provided life for many African generations for centuries. In recent years, as
many people have come to highly depend on the resource, this river has come under pressure. The
Nile River has its main source from the Blue Nile (Abay), which originates in Ethiopia and
constitutes 86% of the total volume of the Nile River. The Nile Basin states utilize the Nile waters
primarily for irrigation, hydroelectric power generation, domestic uses, transportation and
industrial consumption.
The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile Basin is
Ethiopia’s major step in fulfilling development of its water resources. Although under
construction, the GERD is believed to be one of the largest hydroelectric plants in the African
continent. The construction of the GERD is to regulate the flow of downstream water as it will
give priority to the downstream countries namely Egypt and Sudan. However, there have been
ongoing debates and tensions have flared up on whether this project will bring economic and
security threats to the region, especially to the three Eastern Nile Basin countries namely Ethiopia,
Egypt and Sudan that are mostly affected by the GERD. Accordingly, the aim of the study is to
examine the contribution of the GERD in bringing peace and development between Ethiopia,
Egypt and Sudan. Primary and secondary data were generated using the planned research methods
and technique.
The finding of the study reveals that the Nile River basin countries (except for Egypt and Kenya)
face extreme poverty, population growth and climate change which leave Ethiopia prone to
potential conflict over the utilization of the river. Although, there have been treaties and agreement
over the utilization of the river, most have failed due to disagreements and bias towards the
downstream countries of Egypt and Sudan. Thus, the study clarifies and states how the GERD can
be a requisite for sustaining cooperation and economic development to the Nile Basin region as a
whole, and specifically to Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.
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Keywords
Nile, Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Cooperation, Development.