Ethiopia’s mega dam has taken 14 years to build: what it means for the Nile’s 11 river states and why it’s so controversial

Posted on Mon 15 September 2025 in Ethiopia • Tagged with Africa, Nile, Addis Ababa, GERD, Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Egypt, Sudan, Kenya

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

John Mukum Mbaku, Weber State University

In April 2011, Ethiopia began construction of Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), on the Blue Nile river. The dam is expected to generate more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity, effectively transforming Ethiopia into the continent’s largest …


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